Boycotting Valentine's Day
by jennlynnfs
Summary: Valentine's Day approaches, but Bella chooses to hang out with her best friend Alice. They decide to boycott Valentine's Day. Non-Valentine's Day activites are planned, including no boys. But, Alice's brothers, Edward and Emmett, don't count, right?
1. Chapter 1: The Plan

**Title:** Boycotting Valentine's Day

**Author: **jennlynnfs

**Rating:** M

**Genre:** Romance; AU; All-Human

**Characters/Pairings:** Bella/Edward; other cannon pairings

**Summary: **Some women have trouble finding guys, Bella has the opposite problem. When Valentine's Day approaches, her prospective suitors turn up their game, hoping to be her Valentine. Instead, Bella chooses to hang out with her best friend Alice and they both decide to boycott Valentine's Day. A weekend of non-Valentine's Day activities are lined up including no guys allowed. But, surely Alice's brothers, Edward and Emmett, don't count, right?

**Any warnings:** None

**Disclaimer: These characters belong to Stephanie Meyer.**

**Chapter 1 "The Plan"**

It was going to be Valentine's Day. The day for lovers and romance. It was a day for sentimental memories and expensive jewelry. If one was lucky, and people usually are on this day, it would also end with mind-blowing sex.

Not for Bella.

It wasn't that she was anti-love or hated this particular holiday, but lately her love life was just, well, a mess.

It wasn't that she was lonely or she had no prospects. She wasn't dying to meet that special someone, nor was she wasting her time on an unrequited love.

There were just too many guys wanting to be the one.

It was one of those situations where when it rains it pours.

And it was a God damn storm right now.

And it wasn't even the good kind where "It's Raining Men" is playing in the background and you've got hot males beating the crap out of each other for you in the street.

The deluge of man storm ranged from the totally inept to the just say no kind.

Bella worked as a temp, but she had been working at this particular office for a couple of months now. It wasn't unusual, and she liked the steady income it afforded.

It started with Mike Newton.

Mike was harmless. He'd flirt and talk to her whenever he had a minute, but it wasn't anything she couldn't handle. She was friendly enough, and she didn't think she had done anything to imply she wanted anything more.

Then suddenly the friendly banter turned into questions about when she was free and if she'd like to get together for dinner.

She mentally hit her head on the desk. Why couldn't she just be nice and for it not to be taken the wrong way?

Fortunately for her, after countless no's, her time at his office was up and she started work at another place.

And it only got worse.

She started working at a gym to do some light book keeping and clerical duties. It was easy and she usually had her work done in no time, so instead of just sitting around in a place where everyone was so active, she decided to take advantage of one of the perks of her job and use the gym.

She should've just stayed in her small cubby hole and messed around on the internet until it was time for her to go.

She had somehow become part of a personal trainer battle between the two most sought out gym experts: James Trapper and Jacob Black.

At one point, she had become dizzy to the point of exhaustion during a work out with both of them.

And not in the good way either.

They were competing with each other, having Bella try different machines and different cardio techniques, proving that the other knew what was best for Bella's well being.

She just wanted to walk on one of the treadmills while she listened to Rihanna on her iPod.

They were even recommending vitamin supplements that would improve her energy and at one point James had frowned at the peanut butter and jelly sandwich she had for lunch, saying if she wanted protein, there was an excellent protein bar on the market that he could get samples for her.

And then there was Jacob. It became obvious that he had a crush on her. She wasn't normally so adept at reading guys, but one day when he was showing her how to use the weights, Jacob leaned too close and she felt how much he liked her.

On her back.

To say it was embarrassing was an understatement and after that, Bella avoided Jacob as much as possible. She felt bad about ignoring him, and he had become somewhat of a friend at work, but she just was not interested in him that way.

She decided to take a temp job at one of those bookstore chains. Bella figured that there couldn't be any way she could attract anymore attention to herself. It was a bookstore. Generally, guys flee from books, right?

She had just started at the store that week and already she could _feel_ some of the male workers who worked in the retail section gravitating toward her. There was Tyler who worked the register and sometimes the little bakery in the store. Whenever he worked in the bakery, Tyler always delivered a latte to her while she worked in the office doing clerical stuff with inventory.

Then there was Riley who worked in the stockroom. He always had a recommendation or tried to finesse his charm by offering her a look at _any_ of the books in the stockroom.

At first, she attributed their attention to her as sort of an infatuation due to their youth and the fact they were both still in college. She probably appeared to them as the older, unattainable, new toy, hence all the attention.

But of course, she was wrong.

There was also Ben the store manager. They were the same age and he was actually a really nice guy. All the sales girls had crushes on him, but he never was inappropriate with them. She had the impression that since they were in either high school or college, they were off limits.

She respected him for that because no doubt, if Tyler or Riley got any attention from the girls, they would take full of advantage of it.

It wasn't until one day, one of the salesgirls Bree came in the back to drop off mail that she made a remark that it was unfair that Bella kept Ben in the office to herself.

Bella didn't know what to say. Again, it was one of those moments where she was clearly clueless about the opposite sex until it was held up to her face with a how-to diagram.

When she thought about her interactions with Ben, their conversations revolved around work, but lately there would be an occasional slip of some personal detail. She realized his eyes lingered on her a little longer than before and he smiled more often, too.

Another mental head desk for Bella.

From that point on, she kept exchanges brief and professional with Ben. It pained her to see the soft look of confusion on his face, and had it been any other time in her life, she probably would've welcomed his attentions.

But there was just too much attention from the opposite sex at the moment, and Bella felt she just needed space from it all.

Plus, she still had a few more weeks at the bookstore, so she had to find a way to make things tolerable at work.

When she told Alice about her recent _problems_, her best friend had no sympathy for her. At all.

Alice pointed out that other women would relish in all the attention. Bella pointed out that she wasn't like other women. Why couldn't she just have a normal love life?

Alice asked her what she meant by "normal". Bella stated she wished that she could attract the right guy. When Alice asked for further clarification on what exactly is the right guy, Bella didn't know what to say. She never really thought about it before.

Alice told her she probably knew more than she realized. Bella didn't understand what she was talking about and just attributed what she said as one of Alice's cryptic comments.

Then the week before Valentine's Day, all the guys she had thought she escaped from seemed to crawl out of the wood work. She started getting phone calls and e-mails from Mike. James had sent her a basket of protein bars and Jacob sent her some roses.

Things at the bookstore weren't any better. Riley left erotic novels on her desk and Tyler now gave her a small dessert with her lattes.

And Ben. He was actually very good about keeping his distance, but every now and then she would catch him looking at her and a few times his hand ended up on the small of her back when they worked together.

She should've been flattered. She should've been crushing on Ben just a little for being so sweet, but she just couldn't bring herself to be interested.

When she told Alice, Alice had said that she was crazy not to give Ben a chance. Alice was right, but for some reason Bella didn't feel like she had a connection to Ben.

It didn't help that Valentine's Day was approaching. She didn't want to go out on a romantic date. She didn't want to celebrate it at all-she had her fill of romance.

Alice said she was being silly, but Bella pointed out that if she agreed to go out with anyone, it would be a lie because she didn't have any romantic feelings toward any of them.

Alice conceded her point and suggested that they have a boycott on Valentine's Day.

"A boycott? How do you boycott Valentine's Day?" asked Bella.

Alice pondered her question for a minute before she said, "Well, I suppose you do stuff that wouldn't normally be done on Valentine's Day."

"What? Like laundry?"

Alice giggled. "No. Like instead of going out to some place fancy for dinner, we could stay home an order out."

"Oh. We should order pizza and have beers."

Alice said, "And instead of watching some sappy, romantic comedy, we should watch some action flick."

Bella liked the idea of this, but then she realized something. "Alice, don't you have plans for Valentine's Day?"

Alice sighed. "Nope."

"Alice," she said in a suspicious tone.

"I guess I'm like you. I'd rather spend it with someone I genuinely like rather than going out just because it's Valentine's Day."

Since Valentine's Day fell on a weekend, they decided to make a weekend of it. They were debating at whose apartment to stay, when Alice got another call and was back in a minute.

"That was my mom. Apparently my dad is surprising her this weekend with a trip to New York City for Valentine's Day."

"Oh that is so sweet!"

"Yeah. I told her about our plans, so she invited us to stay at their house while they were away."

"No way! For the whole weekend? I love your parents' house."

"Yes! It'll be nice." Alice hesitated before she asked, "Is it okay if I invited another friend?"

Bella couldn't help frowning even though Alice couldn't see her face. "What friend?"

"She's new in town, so she doesn't know very many people yet. Although I wouldn't be surprised if she had a date for Valentine's. She's gorgeous."

Bella let out a sigh of relief. She thought Alice might be trying to set her up. "Sure. What's her name?"

"Her name's Rosalie. She just started a couple of weeks ago at the magazine."

"Oh. That's cool. Should I call up Angela, too?"

"Yeah." Alice hesitated again before she said, "There's just one thing."

She knew there was a catch. "What is it?"

"Well, my mom said that I had to also let my brothers know too. I told her that I was going to have you and maybe a few other friends with me, but she insisted that I let Emmett and Edward know. She said she'd feel better if us women had some kind of male figure protecting us." Alice rolled her eyes even though Bella couldn't see her.

"Oh, that's not too bad. I don't mind if they hang around."

"Bella! This is supposed to be an anti-Valentine's Day celebration. There shouldn't be any guys there."

"Yeah, but they don't really count."

Alice couldn't help laughing. "I'm sure Emmett and Edward wouldn't have appreciated that comment."

"You know what I mean." Bella had known Alice since high school, hence her brothers.

Alice laughed again. "Well, I'll let them know, but I don't expect them there. Knowing Emmett, he probably has made plans for a wicked get away with some flavor of the month and Edward is probably going out with Tanya."

"So, no worries then."

"I'm pretty sure we'll be testosterone free this weekend."

Bella laughed. Then they finalized their plans and said their goodbyes.

That was earlier in the week and now it was time for the weekend. Bella had all her stuff packed in her car and was heading down to Forks. It would be a three-hour drive, but by the end of it, Bella was sure it would probably be the best non-Valentine's Day she would ever have.

**Author's Note:**

Special thanks to **mrskatycullen** for her beta skills. It was short notice, but I'm so grateful that you took the time to look over this.

For those of you who are used to the chapter lengths from MBBF, this is relatively a short chapter. Originally this was supposed to be a one-shot, but when it got to be +18,000 words and it _still_ wasn't finished, I realized that this was going to be more like a novella. This is the shortest chapter. The others will be longer. There might be 6 chapters, maybe 7, and 5 are already written.

Please also take note, this isn't meant to be realistic or have hidden messages about the meaning of life. So, Bella is pretty dense in this story. Okay. A lot dense, but this is purely a fluff piece and all in good fun for the Valentine's Day holiday. No srs bsns here.

I don't know what the posting schedule is going to be like. It will depend on when my beta is available and when I have time to post, but I plan for the the final chapter to be posted on Valentine's Day.

I hope you're all intrigued. Next chapter will be Bella at the Cullens' house. :)


	2. Chapter 2: Brownie Batter

**Note:** If you don't know who Jake Ryan is or who Ted the Geek is either, go watch _Sixteen Candles_. It's old school, but that's how I roll.

**Chapter 2 "Brownie Batter"**

"Oh, baby. Come to momma." Bella touched the sleek chocolate brown Kitchen Aide with reverence. "You are too good looking for your own good."

"Are you talking dirty to my mom's kitchen appliances? Again?"

Bella straightened and turned to the source of the booming masculine voice. "Emmett? What the hell are you doing here?" She launched herself at him and threw her arms around his neck. She smacked a kiss on his cheek and then said, "How long have you been listening to me talk dirty to Roy?"

He laughed. "Long enough to know that you seriously need help." He walked to the Kitchen Aide. "You've already named it? Won't Clyde be jealous?"

Clyde was Esme's previous Kitchen Aide before she bequeathed it to Bella.

Bella laughed. "Clyde will understand. Roy is just a crush."

He shook his head and laughed again.

She raised her eyebrow at him. "You still haven't answered my question."

"What? Can't I visit with my sister and her best friend?"

Bella studied Emmett's face for a moment before she said, "Struck out, huh?"

His eyes narrowed before a slow smile spread across his face. "Lucy said her mother got sick and felt the need to take care of her."

Bella preheated the oven and said, "What did you guys have planned?"

He leaned on the counter with his elbow, his tone was casual, but what he said was anything but casual. "Just a weekend away in Palm Springs."

Bella had been bent down, trying to retrieve a mixing bowl, but raised her head at Emmett's comment. "Palm Springs? That would've been nice especially since it's been raining even more than usual out here."

He let out a mournful sigh. "Yeah."

Bella figured that Emmett's current girlfriend was probably telling the truth about her mom if she was willing to forgo a weekend away in Palm Springs. "Sounds pretty serious."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "What do you mean?"

"A Valentine's Day weekend away. In another state. That sounds pretty serious."

Emmett shrugged. "I guess."

Bella took out ingredients from the fridge. "Emmett, you don't take a woman on a three day holiday for Valentine's unless you're serious about the relationship. How long have you been dating her?"

He hesitated before he said, "A few weeks."

"A few weeks?"

"What?"

"Okay. She probably thought you were only after one thing."

He chuckled. "We already did that."

She blinked several times. "Really?"

He smiled.

Bella shrugged. "Hmm. Maybe she thought things were moving too fast."

His smile disappeared and after a minute he said, "She might have said that."

Immediately, she felt sorry for Emmett. A little known fact about Emmett was that for all his brash actions and unfiltered comments, when it came to love, he always jumped in with no hesitation. Everyone thought he was a player of sorts, but Bella knew better. Emmett had a big heart. He was just too willing to give it away.

She pulled out two beer bottles from the fridge and passed one to him. They opened them and each took a swig. After a moment, Bella said, "Then maybe you'll fit in with us this weekend."

He cocked an eyebrow at her.

She continued, "Didn't Alice tell you? We're boycotting Valentine's Day."

He laughed at that and held out his beer for a toast. "Never liked the holiday anyway. Too much damn work."

They clinked the necks of their bottles and took another drink.

Bella began mixing brownie batter. "Did you say _hi_ to Alice yet?"

"I stuck my head in her room, but she was talking with a couple of other women. I think one of them was Angela, but I didn't recognize the other."

"She's a friend of Alice's. Rosalie." She gave him a sideways glance. "What'd you think of Rosalie?"

He shrugged. "Couldn't tell much. They had green stuff on their faces."

"Eww. Avocado face mask."

"How'd you get out of it?"

"I said I was going to take care of dessert."

"Well played, Swan."

She laughed.

He took another swig of his drink before he asked, "So, what's this Rosalie like?"

Bella suppressed the smile that threatened to spread on her lips. "I haven't had a chance to talk to her much. She seems nice, but..."

"What?"

"She's pretty hot, actually."

Emmett was leaning on the counter, fiddling with his beer label. At Bella's comment though, his head snapped up. "Really?"

"Yeah. I think I'm crushing on her and you know I don't usually like blondes."

Emmett pushed away from the counter. "So, how's her body?"

Bella shrugged. "Pretty decent. Why? You didn't see?"

He shook his head. "They were all in ratty shirts and pants."

Bella laughed. "Oh, that's one of the things we agreed on this weekend as part of the Valentine's Day boycott. No sexy underwear or sexy pajamas."

He shook his head. "Damn. So, I won't be able to even tell if she's got a pair of decent--"

"They're pretty decent. I'm actually a little jealous. I think they're real."

"Both of you are unbelievable."

They both looked up to see Edward standing in the doorway.

Emmett asked, "What?"

He walked into the kitchen. "I can't believe you two _still_ talk about girls like that."

Emmett chuckled and threw an arm around Bella's shoulders. "She's like the brother I never had."

Bella elbowed him in the ribs and he let out a groan.

Edward rolled his eyes. "It's even weirder that Bella is comfortable talking to you like that."

Bella quirked an eyebrow at Edward. "What's the big deal? We're just talking."

"But you're talking about other women."

"So?"

"But...you...you're a woman."

Emmett said, "You finally noticed."

Edward narrowed his eyes at him. "I've always noticed."

Emmett smirked. "Have you now?"

Bella bit her lip to stop from laughing.

Edward shook his head. "It's just weird, okay?"

"What? I can't talk about finding another woman attractive?" Bella looked at Edward. "I have no problem appreciating another woman's attributes."

"But normal women don't talk about other women that way."

Bella laughed. "Yes, they totally do. We check each other out all the time."

Emmett grinned. "Really?"

"Oh my gosh. You think women get dressed up for guys? Guys don't care about designer labels. Only women recognize that kind of stuff. We could be wearing a Wal-Mart special, but if we look cute, guys wouldn't care where the clothes came from. But a woman, she'll cut you down for being so unfashionable."

Edward said, "That kind of makes sense, in a weird way."

"And shoes? I don't think you guys would give a rat's ass if I were wearing Manolos or some Macy's pumps that were on sale. But a woman--"

Edward held up his hands. "I get it."

Emmett said, "So, do girls really check each other out? I mean, like comparing themselves to other women?"

"Totally."

A corner of Emmett's lips pulled up. "So, do you compare yourself to other women?"

Bella finished making the brownie batter and poured it in a pan. "Yeah. All the time."

Edward asked, "Why?"

She shrugged. "Habit, I guess. It's an insecurity. Can't be helped."

Edward asked, "What are you so insecure about?"

She looked at him with a doubtful expression. "Are you serious?"

He shifted in his spot.

Emmett sipped his beer, hiding his smile. _Nice move, Dimward._

Edward cleared his throat. After a moment he said, "I meant, I'm surprised you feel insecure. You always come off so confident."

Bella laughed. "Well, at least I've got one person fooled."

"That's not what I hear," Emmett muttered.

Bella rounded on Emmett. "What's that supposed to mean?"

He lifted one shoulder up and then down. "Alice told me why all you girls decided to get together this weekend."

Bella's eyes widened.

Edward asked, "What's the reason?"

Before Bella could respond, Emmett cut her off and said, "Apparently, our little Bella here is hiding out from all her admirers."

"Whatever, Emmett." She turned her attention to making chocolate chip cookies.

"Admirers?" Edward asked.

"Look. I'm busy here. Maybe you guys could go run off a cliff or something."

Emmett laughed. "There's no reason to be embarrassed. To be honest, it's not at all surprising."

"Emmett."

"What?"

"I don't need this right now, okay?"

He held up his hands. "I'm just saying. It was like this in high school, too."

"What are you talking about?"

Emmett looked at her with disbelief. "You're kidding, right?"

Bella looked at Emmett and then looked at Edward. "What's he talking about?"

Edward ran his fingers through his hair. "Bella, there were a lot of guys who were interested in you."

She let out a snort. "Yeah, right."

Emmett's eyes widened. "Don't act like you don't know."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "You know, it's really mean to joke about something like that."

He held up his right hand and did the Scout's Honor gesture. "I'm not joking, Bella. I swear."

She studied Emmett's sincere expression.

She looked down at the cookie dough. "But that can't be true. No one ever asked me out or anything."

Emmett said, "Well, it was kind of like a _Something About Mary_ kind of situation."

Her brow creased. "What are you talking about?"

Emmett said, "I think guys thought you were the unattainable kind."

Bella laughed. "Me? Unattainable? That's ridiculous. I'd say Lauren Mallory fell into that category."

Emmett shook his head. "No. She was more in the hot, but knew it category. Total turn off."

Bella looked at Edward who merely nodded.

She rolled her eyes and proceeded to drop bits of the cookie dough into the brownie batter.

Edward narrowed his eyes. "Hey, why are you making Emmett's favorite?"

Emmett grinned. "Yes! Are you going to put frosting on them later?"

Bella scoffed. "If I'm going to do this, I'm going balls out. I'm putting ganache on these babies."

Emmett pumped his fist in the air. "I love boycotting Valentine's Day." Then he started bouncing on his heels. "Can I lick the bowl?"

"No."

"What? Why not?"

"Emmett, you know we're tight, but that's just crossing the line."

"That doesn't even make sense."

"It's just...I don't know how to explain it. I..." She continued spooning in cookie dough into the brownie batter before she said, "If I ever get a boyfriend, and I make these for him, and he asks if he can lick the bowl, and I tell him no because I let my best friend's brother do it, wouldn't he get pissed?"

"Bella, you make it sound like I want to make out with you or something."

"Well, it's kind of the same thing."

"Edward, tell her it's not."

Edward looked at Emmett and then at Bella, who were both waiting for a response. After a moment, he said, "I can see where Bella is coming from."

Bella smiled, but Emmett said, "What?"

"I mean, I wouldn't like my girlfriend letting another guy lick the bowl. It just feels wrong."

Emmett was about to argue, but after a second, he said, "Yeah. I guess I wouldn't like that either."

Emmett took out another beer from the fridge. "I'm going upstairs to see if I can check out this Rosalie woman."

Bella laughed at his not so subtle intentions.

After a moment when Edward was sure he was gone, he said, "So, you've never let Emmett lick the bowl?"

She shook her head.

He took step toward her. "Why not?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. It just seemed...wrong."

"But you've let me licked the bowl before."

Bella looked up at him. He was leaning on the counter on one elbow, wearing a smirk.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "That was one time. And I felt sorry for you."

His eyes widened. "What do you mean you felt sorry for me?"

She hesitated before she said, "Victoria."

He groaned.

She continued, "You seemed to like her a lot and she...with James."

He pushed off his elbow and had his back on the counter. "I liked her, but I wasn't...I wasn't surprised that she ended up with James. I mean, I kind of suspected something was going on."

"You did?"

He nodded.

After a moment, she said, "I thought you had plans with Tanya this weekend."

"Tanya? Who said that?"

"Alice."

He crossed his arms. "We're on a break."

She raised her eyebrows at him. "A break? What? Like Ross and Rachel?"

He couldn't help letting out a small laugh. "It's complicated."

"Edward, we're friends. You can talk to me." Then her eyes widened. "This isn't like what happened with Victoria, is it?"

"No. She hasn't run off with someone else if that's what you're asking." He uncrossed his arms and rested his hands on the edge of the counter. "We just decided that we needed to spend some time apart."

"But...you guys have been together for a long time...I thought things had gotten serious and that..."

"What?"

She shrugged. "Maybe you guys were going to get married eventually."

His voice was low. "You seem okay with that idea."

She blinked at him several times in confusion. "Well, it seemed you guys were happy, so I was happy for you."

"Bella, haven't you ever felt..." He studied her face for a minute and said, "Have you ever felt like you were with the wrong person? Like you were meant to be with someone else?"

She looked down and started picking at the hem of her shirt. "Actually, I've been feeling like that a lot lately."

He pushed himself off the counter. "Really?"

"What Emmett said was true."

His brow furrowed. "What was true?"

She shifted in her spot. "I am hiding out from guys. That's why I'm here."

He smiled. "I don't see anything wrong with that."

She looked up and held up her hand. "But the thing is, I don't feel like I belong with any of those guys, but I don't think there's anyone I belong to either."

They looked at each other for a moment before Bella said, "I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?"

"I'm sorry that Tanya doesn't realize how lucky she is."

He looked at her with a confused expression.

"I hope that while you guys are on this break that she realizes that you are wonderful and that she comes back."

"Bella, she wasn't the one who--"

"Edward?" She picked up the bowl with the left over brownie batter. "Would you like to lick the bowl?"

She was Eve offering him forbidden fruit and he was mesmerized. She always mesmerized him.

He took the bowl from her hands and she smiled.

Then he lifted a hand to her face and brushed his lips across her forehead. "Thank you." He pulled back and said, "_Mary._"

Her brow creased. "What the hell?"

He let out a small laugh. "You're a heartbreaker and you don't even know it."

Bella thought about what he said and she could feel her face burn. "It's not like that at all. I don't have guys falling over themselves like in the movie."

Edward proceeded to dip his finger into the bowl. "Sure."

She swatted him on the arm. "I don't."

"That movie is a bit of an exaggeration, but I bet you do have guys falling for you all the time."

Bella put the chocolate chip cookie dough and brownie pan in the oven. Then she set the timer. "I doubt it."

Edward tried a different tact. "Are you really not interested in anyone right now?"

She shook her head.

"Bella, have you even dated anyone lately?"

"On and off, but nothing serious."

"When was the last time you went on a date?"

Bella thought for a moment. "I don't know. Um, a couple of months ago."

He gave her a skeptical look. "Are you talking about that guy Felix?"

She nodded.

"I'm surprised you went out with someone like him."

"What? He was nice. He kind of reminded me of Emmett."

"Bella, he was a bouncer at a gentleman's club."

She laughed. "They're called strip clubs, Edward. And besides, you shouldn't judge people based on their line of work."

"How did you meet him anyway?"

"I was working at that tax preparing office at the time. He came in to have his taxes done and I was working the front desk."

He put the empty bowl in the sink. "Why didn't it work out?"

Bella pulled out a bag of frozen berries from the freezer. "We got along fine, but we just...didn't click. But we're still friends."

"Ah, he's been relegated to the friends' category."

Bella washed the mixing bowl in the sink. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"It's every guy's nightmare."

Bella couldn't help letting a small laugh out. "What's wrong with being friends?"

"Nothing. But a guy never wants to be just friends."

"What?"

"I mean, of course he'll just be your friend, but deep down if a girl ever wanted more, he'd be more than willing."

Bella looked at Edward with a surprised expression. "Are you serious?"

He chuckled. "Women have all the power in a relationship."

Bella thought for a minute then said, "So why does Tanya want to be just friends?"

Edward wore a confused expression. "Tanya? What are you talking about?"

"Is that the reason you guys are on a break?"

He shook his head. "She's not the one who just wants to be friends."

Her eyebrows shot up. "So _you_ just want to be friends with her."

He shifted in his spot.

"I thought you said all the women had the power in a relationship." She couldn't help smirking.

"They do. This is just a...complicated situation."

"Why is it so complicated?"

He raked his fingers through his hair. "Can I ask you something?"

Bella emptied the bag of frozen berries in a colander. "Sure."

"Do you ever...Do you remember that party we had here senior year?"

"Which one?"

He chuckled. "The last one."

She thought for a moment. "Yeah."

"Do you remember what happened?"

"Yeah. It was a lot of fun."

He searched her face for half a minute. "I was talking about you and me."

She looked away and felt her cheeks burn. "You mean my first kiss?"

"Do you ever think about--"

"There you are!" Alice bounced into the kitchen. "Edward? I didn't know you were here." She tackled him and wrapped her arms around her brother. "I thought you had plans."

Edward hugged her and said, "Nope."

She pulled away from him. "What about Tanya?"

"We...didn't make plans for this weekend."

"What? What do you mean? I thought--"

"Hey, Alice? Should I call and order the pizzas?" Bella asked. Edward gave her a smile of gratitude and she winked back at him.

"Oh, yeah." She checked her watch. "I'm totally starving."

Angela and Rosalie walked in the kitchen with Emmett trailing after them.

Bella asked, "Do you guys care what's on the pizza?"

Angela said, "I'm okay with whatever."

Rosalie shifted in her spot. "I don't like ham."

Bella smiled and then looked at Emmett. "Do you want your own pizza?"

Emmett smiled. "I can share."

"Are you sure? Because there are a lot of us, so you better not whine like a little girl that there's not enough."

Emmett rolled his eyes. "Fine."

Alice stepped forward. "Rosalie, this is my other brother, Edward."

They said hello to each other and then Alice said, "Edward, you remember Angela, right? You guys had Biology with Bella."

"Yeah, of course I remember." He smiled at her.

Angela blushed.

Alice saw Angela's expression and a knowing smile spread across her face. Then she said, "Hey, maybe you guys can go pick up the pizza?"

Edward's brow wrinkled. "Um..."

Bella hung up the phone. "Oh, I just told them to deliver it. Should I call them back?"

Alice waved her hand. "No. It's not a big deal." Then she looked at Bella. "Hey, you still need to change."

Bella looked down at herself. She was still wearing her jeans and a black v-neck sweater. "I was going to after I finished with dessert."

Alice rolled her eyes. "Go change now. It isn't fair that you look fabulous while we're in our anti-Valentine's Day stuff."

Bella laughed. "Fine. But I need to borrow a shirt."

Angela said, "Bella, if you want yours back--" She pulled at the collar of the Forks Police Department shirt she was wearing.

She waved her hand. "It's alright, Angela. I'll find something."

Emmett said, "I have a shirt you can borrow."

Bella gave him a wary look. "I'm not wearing your Chuck Norris T-shirt."

Emmett gave her a look of disbelief. "Chuck Norris' Forecast. Cloudy with a ninety percent chance of pain? That shirt is win."

Bella rolled her eyes. "I don't think so."

Edward laughed. "Come on, I might have something you can borrow."

Bella followed Edward, but Emmett trailed after them. "What's wrong with Chuck Norris? You know he doesn't need a weapon because he IS the weapon."

Once they were gone, Rosalie said, "So, is Bella and Emmett..."

Alice shook her head. "No way. They've always been like that. Kind of like...brother and sister I guess."

Alice turned to Angela. "I think Edward and Tanya might have broken up."

Angela shifted in her spot. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"Oh come on, Angela! I know inside you're bouncing up and down."

Angela rolled her eyes. "Edward is totally not interested in me. I don't why you keep trying to--"

"Don't you want to go out with Edward?"

Angela shrugged. "I don't know. It's not like we're in high school. I'm sure he's changed. I've changed. And besides..."

"What?"

"I think he has a thing for Bella."

Alice's eyes widened. "What are you talking about?"

Rosalie said, "I know I'm new around here, but even I could pick up on something."

"You thought something was going on with Emmett and Bella."

Rosalie shrugged. "Well, since you explained it, it makes sense."

Alice's brow wrinkled.

Rosalie let out a sigh. "They're way too comfortable around each other. But Edward is...he doesn't seem comfortable around Bella that much."

Alice looked at Angela.

Angela said, "Are you sure nothing's happened between them?"

Before Alice could respond, Rosalie's phone went off. She pulled it out from the waistband of her pants. She read the ID and said, "Oh, it's my brother. Do you mind if I take this?"

Alice shook her head and then Rosalie went into the other room. The timer went off for the brownies, so Alice went to go take them out.

Once she set them on the counter to cool, Alice asked, "Are you sure you still don't have a crush on Edward?"

Angela smiled. "I'll always think he's attractive, but I really don't think anything is ever going to happen."

"Why not? You're his type."

She shook her head. "I think Bella is his type."

Alice thought for a moment. "You know, Bella's never shown interest in a guy before. I mean, there have been times when she thought a guy was cute or something, but I've never seen her...want someone before."

"Not even Edward?"

Alice sighed. "Nope. It's like she's in her own little world. Totally unaware of other people around her."

"Bella's always been very thoughtful."

Alice held up her hand. "Of course she is. What I meant was that she's totally clueless about guys."

Rosalie walked back into the kitchen with a frown.

Alice asked, "What's a matter, Rosalie?"

She sat on one of the stools in front of the counter. "My brother totally got stood up today."

Alice said, "I'm sorry. Even though I haven't met him, it really sucks to get stood up on Valentine's Day."

Rosalie's eyes narrowed. "I knew that woman wasn't worth his time." She let out a frustrated sigh. "He was dating Maria for a few weeks, but I also got the feeling she was stringing him along. She said that she had to take care of her sick mom, but I have a feeling she's seeing someone else."

Angela asked, "So what is he going to do now?"

Rosalie shrugged. "Nothing. Even though he's been out here longer than me, he hasn't made that many friends."

Alice said, "Why don't you invite him over here?"

Rosalie sat up. "Oh, I couldn't. I feel like I'm imposing with just myself. I'd feel really bad--"

Alice held up her hand. "Look, my brothers are here, so it's not like he'd be the only guy. He can bunk with one of them."

"Well, it would be nice if he didn't have to be alone today."

"And I'm sure he's up for boycotting Valentine's Day now."

Rosalie laughed. "If you're sure it's okay."

Alice nodded.

Rosalie took out her phone. "I'll go and call him then." She headed toward the other room, but before she made an exit, there was a loud shriek.

"Emmett, put me down!"

Emmett marched into the kitchen with Bella over his shoulder. Emmett put Bella down on the counter with a plop. Edward followed, but stood away from them, shaking his head.

"You're such a jackass." She rubbed her bottom.

Emmett said, "You should be honored to be wearing my shirt."

Alice looked over and saw that Bella was wearing not the infamous Chuck Norris shirt, but Emmett's other favorite shirt. Across the front it read: _Don't hate the player. Hate the game._

Alice rolled her eyes. "I think the Chuck Norris shirt would've been better."

Edward took a step into the kitchen. "I told you. You should've just worn my shirt."

Bella scrunched her nose in disgust. "I'm not wearing your _Killer Coding Monkey Ninjas do __Exist_ shirt."

Edward walked over and leaned against the counter next to Bella. "Then why did you get it for me?"

She poked him on the arm with her finger. "Because you're such a geek."

He poked her back. "But I'm your favorite geek, right?"

She laughed. "No way. Anthony Michael Hall in _Sixteen Candles_ will always have the number one spot."

Angela laughed and nodded in agreement.

Bella continued, "If he had worn glasses or had a pocket protector, I would've stalked him and had his babies."

Edward and Emmett both winced and let out a disgusted groan.

Rosalie shook her head. "Uh, okay. I personally would've had Jake Ryan's babies, but..."

There was a collective sigh from the females in the room.

Then Bella added, "Yeah, I would so make out with him in his Porsche."

Emmett let out another tortured groan. "I thought this was supposed to be a boycott on Valentine's Day."

Alice said, "It is, but it doesn't mean we can't have girl talk."

Emmett looked at Edward. "We are totally outnumbered."

Edward snuck a look at Bella. "Well, you said earlier that Bella was like the brother you never had."

Bella pushed Edward and slid off the counter. "That's right. Remember that the next time you need someone to fight off the bullies for your geeky ass."

Emmett roared with laughter.

Edward tugged at the ends of Bella's hair. "I can take care of myself."

"I was talking about real life, Edward. Not like in your WoW game."

Alice held up her hands. "Oh my gosh. It's like we're back in high school again." She looked at Rosalie and Angela. "I'm so sorry you have to see this. They're usually better behaved in mixed company."

"Okay. I'm just going to go call my brother then." Rosalie left the room.

Bella turned to Alice. "What's going on?"

Alice explained the situation.

Bella asked, "Should we order more pizza?"

Alice said, "That's probably a good idea."

Bella picked up the phone.

Emmett walked over to Edward. "What's up with women having to take care of their mom on Valentine's Day?"

He shrugged. "I don't know, but would you really want to be in Palm Springs right now?"

Just then Rosalie returned to the kitchen. "I gave him directions. He should be here later this evening."

Angela said, "So what movie are we going to watch?"

Rosalie said, "I'm game for anything."

Alice said, "I was thinking a comedy or something."

Bella had gotten off the phone and was taking out ingredients for the ganache. "This is supposed to be an anti-Valentine's Day. We should watch an action movie." Bella's features brightened. "We should totally watch _Iron Man_."

Angela bounced in place. "Yes. I love Robert Downey Jr. in that movie."

Rosalie said, "He is pretty hot in that."

Emmett's tone was hopeful. "Really? _Iron Man? _Because that would actually be cool."

Alice said, "Let's go see if Mom and Dad have it."

"I'll be right there," Bella said. "I'm just going to finish up the brownies."

They all filed out to the living room. Alice and Emmett walked over to the grand entertainment cabinet while Rosalie and Angela took a seat on the couch. Edward hesitated before he decided to go back to the kitchen.

When he got to the doorway, he heard Bella talking.

"Hey, Ben! What's up?"

_Who the hell is Ben?_ Edward wondered.

"You are? I didn't know you were from Forks." There was a pause and then Bella continued, "So, you're visiting your parents this weekend? I thought you'd have plans for Valentine's Day."

_Is she seeing this guy? I thought she wasn't dating anyone right now._ Edward took a step back to keep hidden. He normally didn't eavesdrop on other people's conversations, but at the moment he wanted to know more about the situation with Bella and this guy.

"I'm actually hanging out with a bunch of friends tonight. No...Not for Valentine's Day...We're all actually boycotting Valentine's Day. Does that sound weird? I guess it does, but we're all single and rather than moping around at home, we decided to hang out and do non-couple, non-romantic stuff together."

Edward wasn't sure what to make of this conversation. It sounded like they weren't dating, but he couldn't help feeling like this guy was angling for something.

"So, what are your plans? Oh really? Hmm...hold on a sec." Bella pressed the 'hold' button and called out, "Alice?"

Edward shuffled down the hall, so he'd be out of sight. However, it just meant that he was now standing at the other door that lead to the kitchen. He was going to hell, but he didn't care.

Alice walked into the kitchen. "What's up, Bella?"

"You'll never guess who's on the phone."

"Okay. If I'll never guess, why don't you just tell me."

Bella double checked to make sure she put the phone on hold. Then she said, "It's Ben."

Alice's eyebrows shot up. "Are you serious? What does he want?"

"He's in Forks. And he wants to see me."

"What the hell?! What's he doing in Forks?"

"Apparently, his parents live here."

"He's like a stalker."

Bella rolled her eyes. "What do I say?"

"Tell him you're hanging out with friends."

"I did, but he said he didn't have any plans and--"

"Bella."

"I feel like I'm the reason he came down here in the first place."

"You are!" Alice placed a hand on her shoulder. "What are you going to do?"

"Would it be really weird if I invited him here?"

Alice hesitated before she said, "Do you like him?"

There was a silence.

_No. Please no. _Edward raked his fingers through his hair. _Was this really it?_

Bella's voice was low. "I...I think he's nice and he is cute, but...I don't think I...I mean, I could probably learn to like him."

Alice said, "You shouldn't force yourself to like someone."

_Thank you, Alice!_

"But for a long time I thought that if I didn't feel an immediate spark, then it wasn't meant to be. What if because I thought that way, I missed giving the right person a chance?"

"Bella, I don't know what to tell you."

_Damn you, Alice!_

She continued, "I guess you could say I'm a hopeless romantic. I believe when the right person comes along, there's this clarity you get and the only person you can see is the one who's meant for you." She took a deep breath. "But I know that's not realistic and sometimes you have to take a risk, give people a chance because sometimes you never know what could happen."

Edward leaned against the doorframe, trying to fight down the overwhelming feeling of defeat.

After a moment, Bella said, "It would be so much easier if there was some kind of sign so I'd know if I found the right person."

Alice said, "I think there is. You just have to be open to seeing it."

Bella laughed. "And you're telling this to the most clueless person in the world when it comes to guys."

Alice joined in the laughter.

Edward walked away from the kitchen. He knew what was coming next and he didn't want to hear Bella tell Ben that he could come over.

**Author's Note:**

Thank you to **mrskatycullen** and **sherylaf** for their fabulous beta skills for this chapter.

Thank you all for the reviews! I really wasn't expecting much of a response for the first chapter. I hope I can keep you all entertained.

Ben will be joining their anti-Valentine's Day party in the next chapter. But don't worry. Edward isn't going to give up that easily. :)

If you'd like some hints for this story, check out the story banner on my profile made by the fabulous **AngelAtTwilight **who is the author of _The Ex-Factor_.


	3. Chapter 3: Tea

**Chapter 3 "Tea"**

The pizzas had been delivered and everyone was eating in the living room. Rosalie's brother, Jasper, arrived at the same time as the pizzas. He seemed to fit in really well.

It turned out that Alice's parents did not have _Iron Man_, but Emmett was quite determined to watch it. He decided to run out to rent a copy and Jasper ended up going with him.

Bella hadn't eaten much. She was too nervous. She had told Ben that he could come over, but she started to think it was a mistake. She was in the kitchen now, trying to open a box of tea.

"Frack!" She almost threw the shrink-wrapped box across the room. She sat on the counter and let out a tortured sigh.

Edward stood in the doorway. "What's the matter?"

"I just want a cup of tea, but this box has been packaged like it's Bella-proof or something."

Edward walked into the kitchen and stood in front of her with his hand out. "Let me try."

She passed it to him and he took it. After a minute, the plastic wrapping was off and he held up a tea bag for her.

He said, "Geeks can be useful for some things."

Bella smiled and took the tea bag from him. Then she kissed his cheek and said, "Thanks."

Edward placed the box of tea on the counter.

When he didn't move away, Bella looked up at him. "What's the matter?"

He took a step toward her, causing Bella to part her knees just a little. "You seem nervous."

She shrugged. "I just have a lot on my mind."

He hesitated before he said, "This probably isn't the best time to ask, but..."

She sat up a little straighter. "What is it?"

Edward knew he didn't have much time. It was now or never. It took him a moment before he said, "That night of the party...why did you let me kiss you?"

She felt her face grow warm. "Edward, we all had a little too much to drink that night."

He shook his head. "No. I had a beer. You had one. We weren't even tipsy."

_Crap_. She took a deep breath. "It just seemed...right at the time."

He took another step closer to her, causing Bella to part her legs even further.

His voice was low. "Do you ever...do you ever think about that kiss?"

She couldn't help smiling. "Sure. It was a really nice first kiss."

He tried to keep the disappointment out of his voice. "Just nice?"

Bella felt a strange sensation welling up in her chest. She didn't know what it was, but she felt her body temperature shoot up. She'd been up close with Edward like this before, but this time it was different. She had a hard time catching her breath and his face had this expression that made her want to touch him.

Everywhere.

Her breath caught in her throat. _What the hell is going on?_

"Bella?"

She snapped her attention back to him. "It was a nice kiss, Edward. Looking back, I'm glad it was you and that it was such a sweet moment. I don't think most girls can say that about their first kiss."

His eyes lingered on her lips before he looked up at her again. "I've gotten a lot better since then."

This time Bella gulped.

A small smile pulled at the corner of his mouth.

Bella felt like she was losing herself under his gaze. "There wasn't anything wrong the first time."

"The only thing that was wrong was that I didn't get to kiss you like I really wanted to."

"What are you talking--" Before she could finish her sentence, Edward's lips brushed against hers. Not like a kiss, but as if he was testing to see if she was willing.

Or maybe he was teasing her.

He brushed his lips against hers again. Her breath became unsteady, but she didn't pull away. Edward took this as an invitation to continue.

He was gentle and hesitant. It was very much like the first kiss. Bella relaxed and responded with equal pleasantness.

But after a moment, Bella felt one of Edward's hands slide up her thigh and rest on her hip and the other caress the back of her neck. Then she felt a soft pull that caused her to tilt her head sideways and before she knew it, Edward had deepened the kiss.

This didn't happen with the first kiss and if it did, she was sure she wouldn't have called it just nice.

Her body ignited and she found herself not wanting this kiss to end. It's not that she had never been kissed like this, but she never had a kiss make her feel this way before. She felt an urgency and desire well up in her that was foreign to her. These new feelings should have scared her, but all she could think was that she wanted more.

When Edward gently bit down on her lower lip, all reasonable thought fled. Her right leg hooked over his hip. His hands guided her closer to him, causing Bella's legs to knot around his hips. They were gasping for air in between kisses when Edward said her name against her mouth.

Hearing her name spoken with such desire and in short breaths stunned Bella. She'd never had this kind of effect on someone else before. His voice was raw, needy. He sounded like someone who'd been denied something for so long.

Edward pulled himself away and rested his forehead on hers.

When his breath was even, he said, "That's how your first kiss should've been like."

This time Bella pulled away and looked up at him with wide eyes. "If you had kissed me like that...I...things would've been different between us."

Edward took a step back. "So...it would've been a mistake."

"A mistake?" Her brow furrowed. "How would it have been a mistake?"

He chose his words carefully. "Because you only like me as a friend."

Before Bella could respond, there was a commotion at the front door.

"We're back! _I am Iron Man!_ Hey, I smell pizza!" There was no doubt that Emmett had made his entrance.

Then he yelled from the hall, "Bells! Some dude is here who says you invited him."

Edward had just barely moved aside, when Bella hopped off the counter to go to the front door.

Ben was standing in the foyer with his fists shoved in his pockets. He had a look of confusion on his face.

Bella gave him a sympathetic smile. "Sorry about that. That was Emmett. He's...well, Emmett."

Ben gave her a small smile. "It's alright."

She continued, "You probably saw the other guy with him? That was Jasper."

She turned around and Edward was standing a few feet away. "This is Edward." She gave Edward an uncertain look. "This is Ben."

The two nodded in acknowledgment.

There was a brief pause before Bella said, "Why don't you come in and meet everyone else?"

Bella went ahead while Ben and Edward followed.

When they joined the others in the living room, there was such a frenzy of activity everywhere. The flat screen television flashed sports highlights for the day. Obviously, Emmett had already commandeered the television much to Alice and Rosalie's dismay. Jasper stood over pizza boxes opened on the square ottoman table, trying to decide which to eat. Angela was on the sofa, watching the circus.

Emmett called out, "Edward! Catch!" He threw the remote at him and Edward caught it.

Alice said, "Give it back! We were watching _Jersey Shore_."

Emmett said, "I'd rather rip my eyes out."

Alice started toward Edward, intending to retrieve the remote, when she noticed Ben. Her frown disappeared as she replaced it with a warm smile.

"You must be Ben?"

He nodded. "It looks like I might have come in at a bad time."

She shook her head. "It's always like this whenever they're around." She narrowed her eyes at Emmett and then at Edward.

Bella said, "Ben, this is Alice, my best friend. Emmett and Edward are her brothers."

Ben's eyebrows shot up in acknowledgment.

Bella made a gesture to follow her. "You already know Emmett and Jasper. The woman sitting next to Jasper is his sister, Rosalie." She moved aside to introduce Angela.

"And this is my friend, Angela. We've known each other since high school."

Angela stood up to join them. She held out her hand. "It's nice to meet you."

Ben's eyes lingered on her for second before he took her hand. "Nice meeting you, too."

Ben asked, "So, you've all known each other for a while?"

"Pretty much," Bella clarified, "Alice is friends with Rosalie, so this is the first time we've met them."

Angela asked, "How do you know Bella?"

Ben shifted in his spot, but Bella answered, "Ben's actually my boss."

Ben waved his hand. "I wouldn't say that."

Bella laughed. "He's the store manager at the bookstore where I'm temping right now."

"Oh. That's cool." Angela gave Bella a small smile. "What's it like working there?"

Bella said, "It's good. I like it a lot better than the gym." They both exchanged knowing expressions that Ben looked on with curiosity. Bella cleared her throat and changed the subject. "But, one thing you should know about Ben is that all the girls at the store have crushes on him."

Ben's face immediately turned red which caused Angela to giggle.

Ben rubbed the back of his neck. "Bella, stop joking around."

Bella grinned. "It's true. They think he's really sweet and they love having him around."

Angela looked up at him through her eyelashes. "Really?"

Ben caught the look and blinked several times. He mumbled, "Uh..."

Bella bit her bottom lip to stop the laugh that threatened to come out. Instead she said, "His parents actually live in Forks."

Angela looked up at him. "Where?"

Ben nodded over his shoulder. "They don't live too far from here. They live over on Greenwood."

Angela's eyes widened. "My parents live over there, too. Where on Greenwood?"

Ben hesitated before he rattled off an address.

Bella and Angela looked at each other in surprise and then started to laugh.

He shifted in his spot. "What's so funny?"

Angela stopped laughing, but the amusement was still in her eyes. "That's like two houses down from my parents' house."

He smiled. "Really?"

She nodded. "I thought you looked a little familiar. I might have seen you once or twice."

Bella looked at Angela. "Didn't your parents mention once that you guys had new neighbors and they had a son our age who was really--"

Angela smacked Bella on the arm and gave her a pointed look.

Bella couldn't help giggling.

One of Ben's eyebrows arched. "What did your parents say about me?"

Angela blushed. "Uh...have you eaten yet? There's a ton of pizza." She gestured toward the ottoman.

Ben took the hint and didn't push it. Instead, he followed Angela to get some pizza, but Bella was accosted by Alice who lead her to the kitchen under the guise of getting more napkins.

Once they were alone, Alice asked, "Okay. What the hell was that?"

Bella blinked several times. "What do you mean?"

Alice looked at her with disbelief. "You invited Ben here, but it looks like you're trying to hook him up with Angela. Then there's Edward!"

Bella's brow furrowed. "I'm not trying to hook up anyone. It's an anti-Valentine's Day party, remember? I can't help it if their parents practically live next to each other. And besides, they seem to get along okay." She hesitated before she asked, "And what about Edward?"

"Are you kidding?" Alice continued, "He could not take his eyes off you while you were talking to Ben and Angela. I swear I thought he was going to burst into your little group and mark his territory or something."

Bella laughed. "Alice, stop exaggerating."

She shook her head. "I'm serious. Did something happen?"

Bella's expression sobered. "What do you mean?"

Alice's eyes widened. "Something did happen! You have to tell me!"

Bella shook her head. "Alice, we should get back."

Alice grabbed Bella's arm. "No way. If something is going on between you and Edward--"

Bella withdrew her arm from Alice's hand. "I don't know what's going on. I..."

Alice took a step forward. "What?"

"I just..." Bella shifted in her spot. "I think...I don't know. I never thought about him like... more than a friend, and now..."

Alice's eyebrows shot up. "Now?"

She shrugged. "I'm a little confused."

Alice's face relaxed. "Why?"

Bella looked at the door and then at Alice. "I'm not sure..."

She placed a hand on her hip. "You're not sure about him?"

Bella shook her head. "I'm not sure why I never thought of him as more than just a friend before."

Alice's eyebrows shot up again. "And now you're thinking..."

Bella crossed her arms. "I've always thought of Edward as just a friend, but thinking back, I guess there was always this connection. I mean, even now I realize that I act differently toward Emmett than I do with Edward."

Alice listened, waiting for her to continue.

"With Edward, we were still friends, but I was always careful around him without even realizing it. I never thought about him as more than just a friend, but I think that's because I didn't think he saw me as more than just a friend either."

Alice processed Bella's words and after a minute, she said, "So...you're saying that you've only thought of him as a friend because that's all you guys ever were?"

Bella let out a frustrated groan. "See. I don't even know what I'm saying anymore."

"But, Bella--"

Bella held up her hand. "Look, this is exactly what I didn't want on Valentine's Day. I have enough guy drama as it is."

Alice held up her hands. "Okay, but I just have one more thing to say."

Bella sighed. "What?"

Alice took a deep breath. "I don't remember the last time you got so worked up over a guy like this. I think it's good."

"What are you talking about?"

Alice hesitated before she said, "Just don't brush off the possibility of dating my brother. Give it some serious thought before you make a decision."

It was a minute before Bella said, "Fine. But not tonight. I'm boycotting all things romantic or even remotely relationship related. I just want to veg out."

Alice laughed. "Totally understandable." She grabbed a stack of napkins before they rejoined the others in the living room.

When they re-entered the room, Emmett said, "Finally. Now we can get started."

Alice put the napkins down on the ottoman. "What's going on?"

Edward said, "Emmett's been waiting to start the movie."

Alice rolled her eyes. "You guys could've started."

Edward said, "Emmett has something in mind though while we watch."

Alice narrowed her eyes at Emmett. "What?"

Emmett grinned. "Drinking game!"

Edward and Alice groaned.

Jasper sat up in his spot on the couch. "What did you guys have in mind?"

Emmett began rattling off the rules. "One shot every time Robert Downey Jr. says the word peace. One shot every time he has a drink in his hand. One shot anytime he's surrounded by reporters."

Jasper smiled. "How about one shot when he's working in his basement?"

Emmett grinned. "That's a good one."

Rosalie said, "I think we should take one shot whenever he's working on some machine or something."

Emmett raised an eyebrow at her.

Rosalie shrugged. "I think it's hot when guys work on cars or any kind of machine for that matter."

He gave her an appreciative smile.

Bella sat on the couch. "I think we should do a shot for Pepper Pots."

Emmett said, "Why?"

Bella gave him an 'Are you serious look?' before she said, "Um, because she's a kick ass assistant who keeps Robert Downey Jr. in line and manages to be very hot at the same time."

Emmett placed a finger on his chin and pretended to debate the idea in his mind. Then he said, "Point taken, Swan."

They decided to finish off whatever they had which was beer at the moment, but once they were done, Alice decided she wanted to do a round of Peach Schnapps much to Emmett's dismay. However, Emmett decided that the round after that would be tequila. Ben opted out of the game, stating he was going home after the movie.

Once they got the drinks sorted out, they all settled into the living room to start _Iron Man_. Emmett plopped down on the recliner while Rosalie took the end of the couch. Alice sat next to Rosalie with Jasper sitting on the floor in between them. Edward sat next to Alice and Bella sat next to him at the end. Angela and Ben occupied the love seat.

Emmett started the movie, but then dimmed the lights while the previews started rolling.

Then suddenly, Bella felt a familiar, distant feeling creep inside of her. She hadn't felt it in a long time and it was hard for her to recognize. She actually never figured it out because it happened so rarely, but when it did, it hit her with such force that she almost felt like she was losing control of her mind.

She thought desperately, trying to remember the last time this happened. It was so long ago that she almost gave up until Edward leaned over and said, "Are you alright?"

She nodded her head not looking at him. He studied her face for a minute. She kept her eyes glued to the screen not really paying attention to the movie. When he seemed satisfied with his appraisal, Edward returned his attention to the movie.

Bella felt like her heart was going to beat out of her rib cage. It was eleventh grade Biology class all over again. At the time, she didn't know what was happening to her. She just attributed it to some kind of anxiety attack related to the dark, but she'd been in the dark before and this never happened.

It only happened when she was around Edward in the dark. But why did it only happen with Edward?

She took a sip of her beer in the guise of hiding the deep breath she had to take. Bella willed her mind to clear itself of all its conflicting thoughts and instead she concentrated on just feeling. After a minute, there was this attraction, a magnetic need to be close to Edward. It was taking every ounce of her will power not to act on those feelings. How could she have not realized this sooner? More importantly, did he feel this way too?

She chanced a look at him and saw that his eyes were trained on the actors in the movie. His expression was blank and his body seemed totally relaxed.

Bella looked away, stifling the urge to groan. Therefore, it was only she who experienced this slightly agonizing, yet intriguing form of torture.

Sitting next to him in the cover of semi-darkness, Bella's feelings were a combination of excitement and confusion. Just the thought of what two people could do in the dark caused her to shift in her seat, but it also confused the hell out of her. Bella never had thoughts of Edward like that and yet now she couldn't help them.

She slid lower in her seat, wanting to disappear. She didn't want to have these thoughts with him sitting right next to her, but she couldn't stop them either.

She took another sip of her drink to calm her nerves. How the hell was she going to get through this? The movies in Biology were only an hour long. This movie was at least two hours.

Then as if reading her mind, or maybe picking up on her mixed feelings, Edward took her hand. He didn't look at her or say anything.

She didn't realize she was holding her breath when he first took her hand. When he didn't let go, her body relaxed and she squeezed his hand.

She saw a small smile spread across his lips and suddenly, all the tension she felt melted away.

Maybe he felt it too?

**Author's Note:**

Sorry for the delay. Fanfic was being fail last night.

Thank you to **mrskatycullen** and **sherylaf** for their beta services.

Thank you everyone for your continued support. I'm so glad you're all enjoying the fluff. :)


	4. Chapter 4: In His Room

**Chapter 4 "In His Room"**

Bella wasn't much of a drinker. In fact, Emmett always teased her for being a lightweight. It didn't take much, but Bella usually ended up falling asleep.

Such was the case after she had her second shot. She tried to defend herself later by saying that she had a beer before. She had only made it forty minutes into the movie when she passed out.

She stirred in her sleep when the urge to relieve herself became apparent. She groaned and heard a voice, "Are you alright?"

It seemed Edward would always be asking her that tonight.

She groaned again. "Yes."

"Are you going to throw up?"

She shook her head. "My bladder's going to explode."

He helped her up and she let him lead her around. It was dark and he was about to reach for the light when she waved him off. "No lights."

"Um...do you need help?"

"I think I can find the toilet."

He hesitated before he let her inside and shut the door after she was in.

Fortunately, she did find it and when she was done, she washed her hands and swore to herself at how cold the water was. She dried her hands and went back outside where Edward was waiting.

"Did you throw up?" he asked again.

"No, but if you keep asking me about throwing up, I'm going to punch you."

He let out a small laugh and said, "Well, you don't sound drunk." He led her down the hall.

Once they returned to the room, he sat her down and passed her an aspirin and a bottle of water. "Take this and drink as much as possible."

She took it without arguing and when she was done, she passed the empty bottle to Edward. Then she lay back down.

She settled in, but after a minute she said, "Is the movie over?"

He settled down next to her. "Yeah."

"How long was I asleep?"

"Pretty much for the rest of the night."

She groaned. "Emmett is not going to let me live this down."

"Don't worry about it. He passed out too."

She let out a small laugh. "I know we said we weren't going to celebrate Valentine's Day, but I didn't mean to sleep through it either."

"It's okay. No one really seemed to notice."

"Alice is going to be annoyed with me especially since we planned this together."

"Her attention was taken up by Jasper."

At this, she opened her eyes. "Jasper? Really? I didn't think he was her type."

He shrugged. "I don't really know her type either, but she kept staring at him."

She couldn't help letting a small laugh escape. "Just staring? She didn't try to talk to him?"

"No, but it's probably because he was talking to Emmett. When they found out their dates bailed on them for the same reason, they started talking more about it and it turns out the girls are friends or something."

"Whoa. That's weird." She closed her eyes again.

"Yeah. Emmett thinks something's going on. Jasper's willing to give them the benefit of the doubt."

"What do you think?" She turned on her side and snuggled onto the cool side of a pillow.

"I think there's definitely something going on, but I have no idea what."

"I just hope Emmett doesn't get hurt. He's been burned too many times." She hesitated before she said, "It seems he kind of has a thing for Rosalie."

"Yeah." He wondered if that bothered Bella, but he didn't ask. She had an unusual relationship with Emmett and at times he couldn't help being a little jealous. However, that was not what he wanted to talk to Bella about right now.

"So..." he started, and then forced himself to say the rest. "It seemed like Ben and Angela got along pretty well."

"Did they? I had a feeling they might."

"You're okay with that?"

It was a few minutes before she said, "Yeah. I am. I...Ben and Angela would make a good couple."

"So, you're not...sad about it?"

"Why would I be sad?"

"Well, didn't you invite him here? I thought you..."

She was choosing her words carefully. "I did invite him, but I...I wasn't expecting anything from him. He's..."

Bella didn't know what to say. She did like Ben, but she also felt that he could be happy with Angela. Bella certainly didn't think she could make Ben happy, so if he could find happiness with someone else, she should be excited for him, right? She was. Angela was perfect for him.

Then why did she feel like she was being left behind. Despite the fact that this weekend no one was looking for romance or anything of the sort, it seemed everyone found it.

It was quiet for some time. Edward assumed she had fallen back asleep.

Bella took in a short breath, taking in the familiar scent. She couldn't place it, but the smell of clean laundry and soap gave her a sense of comfort. Then she asked, "Where are we anyway?"

Edward hesitated before he said, "My room."

It took a second for Bella to process the information and when it registered, her eyes flipped open. "What?"

Back in high school, Bella had only been in Edward's room a few times. Each time, she had accompanied Alice to get something in his room. She had been in Emmett's room dozens of times and even fell asleep there too. However, Edward's room was an entirely different area. Edward did not usually have many people in his room. Sometimes he'd study with a friend and there were those rare occurrences when he'd have a girl too.

She'd always wondered what it would be like to hang out in his room, but because Bella never dwelled on things for too long, it was usually just a passing thought.

Until now and for some inexplicable reason, she was nervous as hell.

"We're in my room," he said with amusement.

She struggled to push herself up. "How'd I end up here?"

"Well, you fell asleep on my shoulder and pretty much stayed there the rest of the movie." The amusement in his voice returned when he said the next part. "Alice was afraid that you might wake up sick, so I told her I'd take care of you."

"Ugh. Some best friend she is." She lay back down with a flop.

He couldn't help laughing. Then he said, "Emmett and Jasper are downstairs asleep. Rosalie and Angela are sleeping with Alice in her room. Ben went home after the movie." He hesitated before he said, "I could go to Emmett's room or you could go to Alice's room if that would make you feel more comfortable. I mean, you don't seem like you're going to be sick, so I think Alice will probably be okay with that."

It was Bella's turn to laugh. "No, I won't bother Alice."

"Then..." He made a move to get out of bed.

She lifted her head off the bed. "Where are you going?"

"I thought you wanted...I was going to Emmett's room."

She hesitated before she said, "You don't have to go."

There was an awkward silence before he returned to the bed and said, "We should probably go back to sleep then."

She settled back as well, careful not to touch him. That excruciating feeling of excitement and confusion returned and she wasn't sure how to handle it.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"What? What do you mean?" She said a bit too quick.

"It's just...I don't know. Ever since what happened in the kitchen...Did I...Are you upset?"

She reached up for the pillow under her head and tugged on the corner of the pillowcase. "No. I'm not upset."

He caught her movement. "You're not doing that girl thing where you say one thing, but you really feel something else, are you?"

She elbowed him as a reflex reaction. She felt a sharp burst of energy on her elbow and quickly rubbed the spot. It took her a minute to say, "No, I'm not upset at all. I'm just...thinking things over."

"Oh." He ran his fingers through his hair and reached for the drawstrings on his flannel bottoms.

After a moment, she said, "Did you feel that?"

"Feel what?"

"When I elbowed you." She shifted in her spot. "Did you feel anything?"

He dropped the drawstrings and placed one hand under his head. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing." She felt her cheeks grow warm. "Forget it."

He shifted his body so he was lying on his side facing her. "Tell me."

She avoided his eyes. "It was like an electric shock or something."

He hesitated before he said, "Yeah, I felt it."

"But it wasn't like the normal electric shock you get when you've been dragging your feet around on the carpet." Her eyes strayed toward him, but when she saw him studying her, she was quick to avert her eyes again. "It felt...I don't know. Different."

"Yeah." He almost reached for her, but instead he put his hand on the bed between them.

Her voice was small. "What was that?"

"I don't know," he said. Then after a second, he added, "Does it bother you?"

She thought about it. "No. It's just...confusing. I guess."

He wanted her to look at him, so he could see her face and what expression she had, but she kept her face turned away. "Why is it confusing?"

She shrugged. "You've touched me before and I don't remember that happening."

"What do you think is different now?"

She hesitated again before she said, "It's dark."

He bent his elbow so he could prop his head on his hand. "Dark?"

She squirmed in her spot. "I'm not sure why, but things are different in the dark." In a low voice, she added, "With you."

His body moved closer. "Bad different?"

She shook her head. "I don't think so. It's just...at times it's unbearable."

He was caught off guard by the comment and how his body was making its way toward her. Instead, he flipped on his back and had one hand under his head again and the other across his chest. "I'm sorry."

"No. I didn't mean...But, do you feel anything?" Bella felt so exposed. "Or is it just me?"

What could he say that wouldn't scare her away? Words, phrases, and sentences floated in his mind, but none of them sounded right. Then she interrupted his thoughts.

"Please. Tell me the truth," she said.

He let out a long breath. Edward decided that he would try to answer her with as much honesty as he felt comfortable sharing for the moment. "I feel it too, but I'm sorry it makes you feel uncomfortable."

Her brow furrowed. "How do you deal with it?"

He returned her expression. "I...I just do."

She looked at him for a moment before she said, "But you seem so...calm."

A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Well, I've had a lot of practice."

Her face turned toward him. "What?"

Even though it was dark in his room, he could still see that her eyes flashed at him like headlights. "I...this isn't the first time."

Surprise occupied her face. "It isn't?"

He let out a small laugh, amused by her reaction. Could he share more? His expression sobered and he said, "This happens whenever I'm near you. It doesn't matter if it's in the dark or not."

Bella blinked in astonishment.

He lifted his head. "Bella?"

"Yeah?"

"Did I...did I just say something wrong?"

Her head did a little shake. "No. I'm just surprised, that's all."

He studied the astonished look on her face and realized that before tonight, he was just another person in her life. He was probably perceived as just another friend like every other guy. He wasn't special or different. He knew this was a possibility, but having it confirmed made his heart heavy. He also told himself that if Bella didn't see him as anything more, then he would cling to their friendship. It was better than nothing, and he already reconciled himself to the idea that he would be content with being just friends.

It was a long moment before Edward said, "Bella, I don't want to lose our friendship. I'm sorry about what happened in the kitchen and...well, I know you don't feel the same way, and I'm okay with that. Just...I don't want you to feel you have to act differently around me."

"Edward--"

"It's okay, Bella. I should've just kept my mouth shut."

Bella turned on her side and looked at his profile in the dark. "I admit that I'm a little surprised about all this. I'm still processing it, but...I can't lie and say that I don't feel something."

He was still, waiting for her to continue.

She let out a long sigh before she continued, "I'm so dense. I am the most clueless person when it comes to guys." She took in a deep breath. "I never got the impression that you thought about me as more than just as a friend, so I just buried any thoughts about it."

He tried to hide his disappointment. "Why?"

"I guess I didn't want to lose our friendship either."

After a minute, Edward said, "So...what does this mean?"

Bella said, "I...I don't know. I'm a little confused, but I'm also curious, too."

He felt his heart beat faster at her admission. "What are you curious about?"

She felt herself blush and she was thankful it was dark in his room.

When she didn't answer, Edward flipped on his side to look at her. "Bella?"

She was flustered. "I...nothing. Never mind. We should go back to sleep."

He let out a small laugh. "Tell me." Then he raised his hand and rubbed her arm gently.

Bella gulped. "I...I was curious about what it would be like to...do...stuff?"

Edward's eyebrows shot up. "Stuff?"

Bella knew her face was probably glowing red. "I didn't mean--I don't want to rush into anything. I just...maybe if we take things slow?"

Edward was quiet for a moment.

"Edward?" She tried to keep the frantic tone out of her voice. She was sure he thought she was out of her mind.

After another moment, Edward asked, "I was just wondering what kind of stuff...what exactly did you have in mind?"

Bella took a deep breath. "I..."

He dropped his hand from her arm, but gave her a small smile of encouragement. "Why don't you show me?"

"Okay." She studied his face again. It was familiar, yet so new to her in the dim light of his room. Bella hesitated before she reached out and ran her fingers through his hair next to his temple. "I was surprised by how soft your hair is."

Edward closed his eyes and savored her gentle touch.

Then she rubbed her thumb on his cheek. "Your cheek is rougher than it was earlier."

He smiled, but his eyes were still closed. "I don't usually shave when I go to bed."

Bella giggled. "Right."

Her fingers made a trail across the strong line of his jaw and then her thumb swept across his lower lip. His breathing became unsteady.

"Does this bother you?" Bella was mesmerized by the fullness of his lower lip and the scattered sensation welling up inside her.

His lips moved against her thumb. "No. It feels...nice."

She smiled and said, "Your lips are soft too."

Edward stifled a groan at her comment. This was not how he thought his Valentine's Day would end. He thought getting to kiss Bella was enough of an amazing experience. The fact that Bella Swan was in his bed, touching and caressing his face, telling him how soft his lips were, was something out of a dream.

"Edward?" Her voice was low.

"Hmm?" It came out more like a content hum.

"Are you...holding back right now?"

"Uh, what do you mean?"

"Well, you're so calm, but being here with you...like this...I don't think I..." She felt so much, and her brain was just as overwhelmed. She bit back the word vomit that threatened to spill out.

His voice was rough. "You don't think what, Bella?"

"This is making me think about other stuff. And I don't think I..." She hesitated. These feelings were so new, but not unwelcome. She was nervous and excited at the same time. To calm her nerves, she took in a steady breath and took comfort in her surroundings. She was lying in Edward's bed next to him, covered in darkness. At this realization, the words spilled out of her mouth.

"I don't think I can hold back." She felt her face flame at the admission, but she couldn't help being honest.

Edward's eyelids scrunched tightly and he let out a gust of air. He knew better to keep his eyes shut than to look at her at that moment. If he looked at her now, he knew he wouldn't be able to hold back. He took in a deep breath and let it out, feeling his face relax. It took him a moment to find his voice, and when he did, his voice was low.

"Then don't, Bella. I told you... just show me."

But damn he wanted to do so many things to her.

Edward waited. A minute passed and he started to worry that maybe she changed her mind. He was about to open his eyes when he felt soft pressure on his lips.

_Did she just kiss me?_

He didn't dare move or say anything for fear that maybe he imagined it, but a second later the familiar sensation returned and he opened his eyes just a crack to make sure.

Bella was kissing him. Her lips were moving over his not because he initiated it, but because she wanted to.

Or maybe this was just more of her satisfying her curiosity? But if that was true, he wasn't doing a very good job of making sure she enjoyed it. Then again, he promised her that he would hold back his own feelings until she was ready. Was this a test? Was she testing him to see if he really could control himself around her?

He was about to pull away before he completely lost himself, and as if sensing his thoughts, Bella snaked her hand up his neck to keep him in place, her kisses became more enthusiastic. When the tip of her tongue touched his lower lip, Edward couldn't help letting out a low moan and Bella took that opportunity to deepen her kiss.

Bella moved her body so her chest pressed down on Edward's chest. The sensation of her breasts pushing against him was almost too much for Edward. His right arm was bent upward next to his head and his left arm was by his side, fisting the blanket. It was exhausting fighting the urge to wrap his arms around her and to kiss Bella back, but he knew he had to show her that he meant what he said about restraining himself until she was ready.

But for the life of him, he couldn't remember why he made such a stupid promise in the first place.

Oh, right. Because they've been friends for so long and Bella is trying to figure out if being more than friends would be alright.

He groaned at the way she was relentlessly licking and sucking on his lips. Then, her hands started to wander through his hair and rub his chest. It was such bittersweet torture. He wanted it to end for the sake of his sanity, but if it did end, he would be upset that she stopped.

Bella's hand trailed down Edward's chest and settled at his hip. Her fingers grazed the bare skin just above his hip, causing a low rumble to come out of Edward's chest. The throaty sound caused Bella to become bolder. She explored that expanse of skin, enjoying the feel of the light dusting of hair on his stomach.

Then next moment happened in such quick succession that their bodies reacted before their minds caught up with what they were doing.

During Bella's exploration, the heel of her hand brushed against the tip of the very prominent bulge in Edward's pants. Before he could think about what to do, his hand that fisted the blanket reached up and cupped Bella's breast.

She pulled away, realizing what she had just done.

Edward spoke through broken breaths, releasing her. "Bella, you're going to be the death of me."

She licked her lips. "I'm sorry I got so carried away. I didn't realize...I didn't mean to force myself on you."

She pushed herself away and jumped off the bed.

Edward sat up and moved off the bed as well. "Bella--"

"I'm going to go sleep in Emmett's room."

She turned to leave, but Edward stepped in front of her. "Wait, why? What are you talking about?"

Bella looked away, her face burning. "Please, just let me go. I'm sorry I ruined everything."

Edward placed his hands on her shoulders. "Why do you think you ruined things?"

He was making her admit her humiliation. She didn't mean to give him such mixed messages. "It's probably better if we just stay friends."

A look of confusion and disappointment crossed his face. Then he dropped his hands to his side. "But, I thought...I thought you wanted to try--"

She held up her hand. "I did and now I think it's probably best if we just...forget--"

He reached out for her and touched her face. "I don't want to forget. I won't forget."

"Edward." She pulled her face away, feeling her throat tighten. "I'm sorry." She turned away and left his room.

Edward stood in the middle of his room unable to move. One minute Bella was fulfilling his fantasy and the next he was alone, wondering how it all ended before it even began.

Author's Note:

Thank you again to **mrskatycullen** and **sherylaf** for polishing up this chapter for me. Thank you to **Beautiful_Distraction** for validating this at twilighted.

Thank you all for indulging me by reading this bit of fluff. It's been so fun sharing this story.

Only two chapters left! (Maybe three.) Don't worry. This is all fluff. No angst here.

13


	5. Chapter 5: Dishes

**Chapter 5 "Dishes"**

Bella was an idiot.

She wasn't sure what happened last night with Edward. At first she was confused, then curious, and then...she wanted to lick every part of Edward.

_What the hell is wrong with me? _

She told him that she wanted to take things slow. One minute, she's running her fingers through his hair and the next she practically molested his junk. Bella felt the frown on her face. She had never gotten so carried away with her feelings. There was no thinking or planning involved. Her feelings and body were acting on their own. Even though she enjoyed it, it was just so unlike her.

Bella never reacted like that toward anyone before, so it was new and unnerving. She knew Edward since they were teenagers. They were there for each other through good and bad times. He was Edward.

She always thought of him as Alice's brother. He was always the geeky guy who loved video games and Star Wars. He helped her with Calculus and computer problems. She always had fun with him and he was there for her whenever she needed him.

Bella was having a hard time reconciling the Edward of her youth with the Edward she practically mauled in bed. She always thought he was cute, but last night, he was...she could barely keep her hands off him.

And she realized that she didn't want to.

With this realization, Bella wasn't sure how to proceed. Her head was telling her that they should take things slow, get to know each other in this new light. Another part of her, a part that she was scared to acknowledge, told her that she knew Edward and that she could trust him. She wanted so badly to follow this instinct, but could it really be that easy? She didn't have the best track record with guys, frequently misjudging the situation. Is that what was happening now?

She thought back to what happened last night. Edward was receptive. The proof of it brushed up against her hand. When she felt him, it only spurred her on.

Then, when he touched her, it was like something in her brain clicked and she realized that Edward, who had always been just Edward, was getting to second base.

And she liked it.

Bella was overwhelmed with the fact that things were changing fast between her and Edward. She knew Edward for years, and their relationship was changing from friendship to potential lover in a matter of hours. What if she messed things up which she usually did when it came to matters of the opposite sex? Not only would she lose her friendship with Edward, but she could imagine things would become strained with Alice and Emmett if things didn't work out with Edward.

There was no doubt that Edward felt something for her, but how deep did those feelings run? Would he be worth the risk of possibly losing several friendships over?

She decided no more tequila for the rest of the weekend.

"Bella?" Angela nudged her arm. "Bella?"

Bella didn't sleep well and woke up early. Since everyone else was still asleep, she decided to start breakfast. Angela was the next person awake and helped Bella with breakfast.

She looked up from the eggs she was scrambling. "Oh, sorry."

"What's the matter?" Angela's voice was full of concern.

"Why would anything be wrong?" Her voice had a tone of suspicion.

"Well," Angela flipped the French toast on the griddle before she said, "I just asked you if you'd be okay with me inviting Ben here for lunch."

"I'm sorry. I didn't hear you." She let out a short sigh and scooped the eggs onto a serving platter. "That's fine. Do you need his number?"

Angela put the last of the French toast on another platter. "Uh...no. He gave me his number last night."

Bella snapped out of her thoughts. "Really?"

"Yeah." Angela picked up the platter, walked around the kitchen island, and placed it on the dining table. "We...I..." She fidgeted with the hem of her shirt before she said, "Is that okay?"

Bella nodded. "That's cool. I think you guys would make a cute couple."

Angela's shoulders rolled back and she smiled. "I'm glad you're okay with it. I felt a little guilty about it."

"Why?"

"Well, because you invited him here and..."

Bella placed the platter of eggs on the table next to the French toast. "What?"

"I thought you might be interested in Ben, but..." Angela busied herself with the place settings on the table.

"Angela, what is it?" She stood in front of her next the table.

"It just looked like you and Edward..." Angela waited for Bella to explain, but when Bella continued to stare, Angela let out a short breath and said, "Is there something going on between you guys?"

Bella shifted in her spot and then looked over her shoulder. Certain that no one else was around, she said, "I don't know."

Angela waited for her to continue.

"I mean, I think there is, but..." Bella scraped the last of the eggs off the pan. "I don't know what we...what's happening."

Angela gave her small smile for sympathy. "Well, for what it's worth, I think you guys make a cute couple, too."

Bella laughed.

"You guys didn't have to do everything!" Alice strolled in the kitchen with Rosalie following. "I would've helped."

"You can grab the juice from the fridge," Bella said.

Alice walked over to the fridge to get the juice while Rosalie joined the other ladies at the table.

Rosalie's eyes took in all the food. "Everything looks really good."

Alice set the juice on the table. "Are we waiting for the guys?"

"Do we have to?" asked Bella.

They all laughed and Alice said, "Nope. Emmett is actually upstairs in the bathroom. I think he smelled the bacon."

Bella smiled. "Then we better get started before he gets here."

They all sat and tucked in to the meal.

Alice reached for the syrup. "I was thinking we could head into Port Angeles. My mom told me that they just opened up a day spa. I could really use a massage."

"That sounds fabulous. I'd love to get a sugar scrub." Rosalie speared a strawberry off her plate.

"Sugar scrub? Is that to make you taste sweeter?"

Each person's head snapped up at Emmett's comment while he entered the kitchen. He sat next to Alice, but then she reached over and slapped him behind the head.

"What the hell, Alice?" Emmett rubbed the back of his head.

Alice rolled her eyes. "We don't need any sexual innuendoes this early."

He snorted and said, "You said in-your-endo."

Bella couldn't help laughing. "Thanks for that, _Todd."_

Alice cringed and said, "I should've never have bought him all those _Scrubs_ DVDs."

Emmett chomped down on some bacon while he slathered butter on his French toast. "So, what's a sugar scrub and would I like it?"

The corner of Rosalie's mouth pulled up then she said, "Well, if you like smearing sugar all over yourself, then yeah. You might like it."

Emmett swallowed his food with a loud gulp. "What happens when all the sugar is on your body?"

Bella looked at Emmett with a serious expression. "Well, they lick it off."

Emmett was drinking his juice and when Bella made the comment he choked. Alice pounded on his back. He raised his hand. "Enough." He coughed one more time before he said, "Are you serious? Is that what happens at spas?"

Bella shrugged. "Well, you got to pay extra for that."

Emmett lowered his voice. "Like they do at..." He bent down lower. "At those massage parlors?"

Alice, Rosalie, and Angela looked at him with a curious expression. Bella held up her napkin to her mouth to hide her grin.

After a second, Bella lowered her napkin and said, "Well, we don't usually talk about that. We don't want to get anyone in trouble." She lowered her voice. "Try to keep that on the down low, Em. Alright?"

Emmett gave her a solemn look and nodded.

Bella lowered her face so that her chin almost touched her chest. She was trying to hide her grin. Alice, Rosalie, and Angela looked at each other with confused expressions.

After a minute, Emmett said, "Maybe I should go with you guys to the spa."

Alice gave him a surprised look.

He said, "Well, just to...check things out."

Jasper entered the kitchen and took a seat next to Angela. "Check what out?"

"The girls are talking about going to a spa."

Jasper reached for the juice. "And you want to go?"

Emmett shifted in his seat. "I was thinking about it. Have you ever gone?"

"Yeah. Rose dragged me to one once."

Emmett's eyebrows shot up. "Well, how was it? Did you like it?"

Jasper finished chewing and swallowed. "I guess. If you like that kind of stuff."

"What stuff?"

Bella's face hurt from trying to hold in her laughter. Angela and Alice were still confused, but Rosalie had caught on to what Bella was doing.

Rosalie said, "Jasper, didn't you get a deep tissue massage?"

Jasper nodded. "That was pretty good actually."

Emmett had a glazed look on his face.

Edward joined them shortly and sat in between Emmett and Jasper. "Are you okay, Em?"

Emmett blinked several times and sputtered while he talked. "How-how much did that cost?"

Jasper shrugged. "Well, it's by the hour."

"How-" Emmett cleared his throat. "How deep was the massage?"

Rosalie let out a short laugh, but covered it up by coughing. Bella had gotten up and went to the fridge. She had opened the door and was standing in front of it, but her shoulders were shaking. Alice and Angela realized what was happening. Angela turned bright red. Alice covered her face with her hand.

Jasper's brow was furrowed. "Well, it's a type of massage. They focus on a particular muscle and really work out the tension, spending more attention on it than a usual massage."

Emmett turned to Alice. "Do they offer deep tissue massages at this day spa?"

Alice cleared her throat. "Probably."

Rosalie said, "You might like the hot rocks massage treatment."

Emmett raised an eyebrow at her. "Hot rocks?" His eyes made a cursory glance at her Rosalie's chest.

Edward caught the look. "Dude, what the hell?"

Emmett turned to look at Edward. "It's okay. Bella gave me the inside tip."

By this time, Bella had returned to table. Edward and Jasper both gave her curious looks.

Emmett said, "Come on, Bells. Let me tell Edward."

"Tell me what?" He piled on some French toast on his plate.

"Em, I told you." She narrowed her eyes at him. "You're not supposed to say anything."

"But, Bella--"

She glared and pointed at him. Then she said, "Fight Club."

He opened his mouth, but Bella continued to give him the eye.

After a second, he said, "Fine." Then he turned to Alice. "So, can I go?"

Edward had his fork in the air with a piece of French toast. "Where?"

Emmett said, "I think I'd like going to a spa."

Edward put his fork down. "Uh, no. You wouldn't."

He tipped his head to his left. "Jasper's been to one."

Edward looked at Jasper.

He shrugged. "Rose made me."

Edward looked at Alice and then at Bella.

Bella shrugged.

Edward said, "What the hell is going on?"

Alice said, "I suggested we go to a day spa and Emmett got interested in what we were talking about."

Edward looked around the table. Jasper wore a mildly amused expression. Alice and Rosalie were occupied with their breakfasts. Angela was blushing, but hiding a smile. Bella had a grin on her face that radiated glee.

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Bella, what did you do?"

Her grin disappeared. "What are you talking about?"

"Why do you want Emmett to go to a spa?"

"I think he'd really enjoy it."

"You know he wouldn't."

"Why not? Emmett would like getting a massage."

Emmett cut in. "Edward gets them all the time."

Bella laughed at the implication.

Edward's brow wrinkled. "No, I don't."

Emmett said, "Yeah, you do. When you're alone."

"That doesn't even make any sense. How can I give myself a-" His eyes darted at Bella.

Bella sat up in her seat. "Shut up, Edward."

But Edward's shoulders were shaking and he had his head tilted back.

"No, stop. Emmett's coming with us to the spa." She looked at Emmett. "You can get a deep tissue and a hot rock massage."

Edward's laughter erupted from his throat.

Alice and Rosalie were shaking their heads. Angela bit her lower lip to stop from laughing. Jasper's eyes widened.

Then Jasper said, "Wait, did you tell Emmett that-"

Bella shook her head and made a uh-uh sound, signaling him to stop talking.

"What?" Emmett asked.

Jasper looked at him and took pity on him. "Dude, they're just massages. That's it."

Emmett looked at Jasper for minute before he said, "That's all? You mean there's nothing...extra?"

At this comment, the room erupted with laughter.

Emmett's eyes widened and his cheeks turned red. "Swan! If I had gone with you guys and-"

Bella was clutching her stomach. "Damn it. So close."

He had a hurt look on his face. "That's not funny."

"She would've gotten you good," Alice said.

"You're my sister." He turned his expression on Alice. "You would've let her-"

"Yes," she said without hesitation.

Emmett's expression deepened. "You are so cold."

"Emmett, come on." Edward passed him some bacon. "You know that was funny."

He sat back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest.

Bella sat up and said, "Hey, you started this."

Emmett said, "I didn't do anything. I've been nice to you all weekend."

"I'm not talking about this weekend. This is for that bartender incident."

"What bartender incident?"

Bella's eyes widened. "Oh no. You did not just ask me that."

Emmett thought for a minute and then his face lit up. "Oh, yeah."

Alice said, "_That_ was messed up."

Edward asked, "What happened?"

Emmett said, "In my defense, I had a bit too much to drink."

Alice said, "We all did."

Bella shook her head. "You know I can't even go back to that bar anymore because people still remember."

Emmett looked at her in disbelief. "But it's been a month."

"Exactly!"

Edward held up his hand. "Wait, what happened? And why wasn't I there?"

Alice said, "I think you were out with Tanya."

A look of disappointment clouded his face and then he cleared it. "So, why I haven't I heard about it yet?"

Emmett said, "We're forbidden to talk about it." He cleared his throat. "Fight Club."

Edward rolled his eyes.

Bella sat on the edge of her seat. "Would you like to know what your dear brother did?"

He gave her a hopeful look. "Yes."

Bella looked at Jasper and then at Rosalie. "I'm sure you guys are curious, too."

They nodded in agreement.

"Bella, don't," Emmett said.

He was pleading with his eyes. Bella felt a little sorry for him, but it quickly passed. If she couldn't get him back at the spa, this would be the next best thing.

She cleared her throat. "Well, like Alice said, we had a lot to drink. Then Emmett made this suggestion that I should try this drink. He said it was really good and that I'd like it."

Emmett groaned and covered his face with his hand.

"I figured, what's one more drink? I go up to the bartender and tell him the drink and he looks at me like I'm crazy."

Alice shook her head. "If I had known what was going on, I would've stopped you."

"I know." Bella glared at Emmett before she continued, "Anyway, I kept repeating that I want this drink and eventually other people are looking at me like I'm psycho. Or at least now, I know they were probably thinking that I was some nympho who liked it rough."

Edward's eyes widened. "What the heck did you ask for?"

Bella let out a short breath. "I kept telling the bartender that I wanted an Angry Dragon."

Jasper's jaw went slack and Rosalie gasped.

Jasper said, "You told her to ask for an Angry Dragon?"

Edward swiped Emmett on the shoulder. "Not cool, man."

Angela's brow was furrowed. "What's an Angry Dragon?"

The atmosphere at the table was tense.

Bella let out a short laugh and said, "Definitely not a drink."

Emmett said, "Bella, I told you I was sorry."

She held up her hand. "I know."

"I am," he said. His tone full of remorse.

"It's okay." She smiled at him. "But it would've been funnier if you went to the spa with us and asked the masseuse if you could touch her hot rocks."

The tension broke and there was laughter at the table.

After a moment, Alice said, "So, does the spa still sound like a plan?"

The girls gave their approval.

Alice said, "So, while we're at the spa, what anti-Valentine's Day activity are you guys going to partake in?"

Edward scooped up some eggs. "Technically, Valentine's Day is over."

Alice rolled her eyes. "It's a Valentine's Day weekend."

Emmett said, "I don't know. Maybe shoot some hoop."

Jasper said, "That sounds cool."

Emmett said, "Too bad we don't have enough to get a game going."

Bella said, "Angela was going to invite Ben over for lunch later. Maybe he'd like to come over a little early to play with you guys."

Emmett said, "Yeah. Ask him."

Bella looked at Angela. "Have you called him yet?"

She shook her head. "My phone's upstairs. I'll call him now."

Alice stood up. "I'm going to call the spa and see what they have open."

Bella stood up as well to clear some of the empty dishes.

Rosalie stood up too. "Let me help you."

They worked on tidying up the kitchen when Emmett asked, "Are there any more eggs?"

Rosalie gave her a small, flirty smile. "Would you like more?"

He blinked a few times at her smile, but was quick to recover and managed to return her smile for a dimpled one of his own. "I don't want to put you through any trouble."

Her smile widened. "I don't mind." She went to the fridge to get more out.

Emmett watched her, wondering what else she wouldn't mind doing for him. Jasper caught the look he was giving his sister and cleared his throat.

When that didn't work, he said, "Dude, that's my sister."

Emmett tore his eyes away and looked at Jasper. "Oh come on. I saw you checking out Alice."

His cheeks turned pink. "I—I wasn't--"

He held up his hand. "Whatever." Then he leveled a look at him. "Dum-Dums."

Jasper's eyebrows shot up. "What?"

Emmett gave him an exasperated look.

Jasper thought for a minute and then said, "What the candy?"

"The lollipops." He lowered his voice and said, "Alice's favorite."

Edward was half listening to their conversation. He was mostly watching Bella tidy up, wanting to talk to her, but not wanting an audience either.

A smile broke on Jasper's face. Then he saw Emmett's expectant look and hesitated. He watched Rosalie finish up the eggs and begin to plate them. Then Jasper said, "She doesn't like candy."

It was Emmett's eyebrows to shoot up "Are you serious?"

He nodded. "Don't even offer her a mint."

"Then what the hell does she like?"

He gave Emmett a small smile. "She likes cars."

He spluttered out, "I'm not giving her a car."

He rolled his eyes. "No, she likes working on them."

Before Emmett could say how hot that was, Rosalie returned with the eggs. "Here you go."

He smiled. "Thank you." Then he gave Jasper a knowing look and then looked up at Rosalie. "I was just telling Jasper about some car problems I was having."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Oh?"

Emmett held back the smile that threatened to spread on his lips. "He mentioned that you might be able to help."

She gave him a shy look. "I might know something."

Jasper let out a small laugh, but covered it up as a cough. He excused himself to get ready for their basketball game.

Jasper walked over to the sink with his dishes. "Thank you for breakfast. It was really good."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it." Then she took his dish.

He smiled and said, "Thanks." Then left the kitchen.

Bella smiled. "No worries."

Edward didn't want to listen to Emmett's attempt in flirting with Rosalie anymore, so he stood up with his dish and walked over to Bella.

Bella continued doing the dishes, but after a moment, Edward joined her. She took the dish from him.

He stood next to her for a moment before he said, "I'm sorry Emmett did that."

Bella rinsed off a dish and then placed it in the dishwasher. "You shouldn't be apologizing for him."

Edward moved so that he could help load the dishwasher. "I still feel bad that it happened."

She handed him a dish. "You weren't the one who did it, so don't worry about it."

"But...if I had been there..."

"If you had been there, it probably wouldn't have happened. But you weren't, so..."

"I'm sorry I wasn't."

Bella looked up from doing the dishes. "Why do you keep apologizing?"

He stepped in to continue rinsing the dishes, but he didn't answer.

She continued, "I mean, yeah. I was mad at him, but he felt really bad about it and he's apologized for it over and over." She took a dish he offered. "I love Emmett. I can't stay mad at him forever."

He looked up at her.

"What?" she asked.

"I...you and Emmett are really close."

She shrugged.

"Sometimes...I can't help being a little...envious."

"Why would you be envious of Emmett?"

"I wish we could be close like that."

"I wouldn't want that."

He stopped what he was doing.

Bella had been bending down over the dishwasher. When he didn't respond, she straightened up and looked at him. "What's the matter?"

"You don't...why not?"

"Well, it's really cool that we're able to talk about pretty much anything. And Emmett's always been honest with me. With Emmett, I don't have to figure out where we stand or be careful with what I say. And if I do say something...off base, he won't get offended or mad at me. He's like..."

"What?"

"I guess we're like kindred spirits."

"I see." He returned his attention back to the dishes.

Bella continued, "With you...we have a different kind of closeness."

Edward passed a dish to Bella.

She took it. "I like...how you're careful with me. I like that you're aware that I'm..."

"What?"

"That I'm a girl." She felt her cheeks burn. "I think Emmett forgets that sometimes."

"But...I want to be closer to you, Bella."

"We're already--"

"No." He shut the water off. "Not as close as I'd like us to be." He stared at her face and his eyes took a quick glance at her lips before they returned her gaze. "Why did you leave last night?"

She knew it was going to come up, but was still surprised when it did. "I...I was scared and confused." She reached down and shut the dishwasher.

During their conversation, Rosalie and Emmett had slipped out of the kitchen. The remaining dishes were neatly stacked on the island. Bella moved to get the remaining dishes, but Edward pulled her wrist.

"About what?" he asked.

"One minute, you're Edward, Alice's brother. The guy that I watch _Dr. Who_ reruns with at Christmas." He smiled which she took as an encouragement to continue. "Then the next minute, you're...still Edward, but not the same."

A soft wrinkle formed on his forehead. "Not the same?"

She concentrated on the knob on the stove. "It's just...it's going to take me a while to adjust to...seeing you differently. And...what if I mess this up? You're important to me. So is Alice and Emmett."

He reached up so that he could get her to look at him. "Hey."

When she did, Bella felt her heart skip at the look he gave her.

Edward's thumb grazed her cheek before he dropped his hand. "You're important to me, too." The soft look in his eyes conveyed so much emotion. "Whatever happens, that will always stay the same."

Bella lowered her eyes. "Last night...I thought you wanted...but then you didn't... and then I practically forced myself on you. I felt so stupid."

He took a step closer to her. "I thought it was obvious how much I enjoyed...all the attention."

She felt her face become hot. "Oh, yeah. I..." She became flustered and pulled at the hem of her shirt. "I'm so stupid when it comes to things like this. It's no wonder I can't keep guys interested."

"Don't say that." He lifted her chin with his index finger. "You said you wanted to try things, go slow." He cupped her face. "I didn't want to scare you."

"Scare me?"

"Bella." He let out a soft sigh. "Last night, having you in my bed, the things that you did to me..."

She swallowed, bracing herself for what he said next.

He continued, "I never thought I'd have the chance to be with you like that."

She couldn't help smiling.

"But, whenever I imagine us...I...I'm not..." He shook his head, trying to find the words. A half a minute passed when he said, "I don't hold back."

Her stomach flipped. Her voice came out in a stutter. "S-so, last night, you were okay with what I did?"

"Bella, it was more than just okay." The look he gave her was heated, making her body warm.

"Really?" She couldn't help feeling shy.

He took her hand and dragged his thumb across her knuckles. "How could you not know?"

She let out a frustrated sigh. "Because I'm the most clueless person in the world."

He placed a hand on her waist and drew her body to his. "Well, if you're that worried, I could show you some of the things I've thought about." He lowered his face, his lips a few inches from hers. "But only if you're okay with that."

"I-I'm okay with that." She wasn't sure if she'd ever get used to this side of Edward.

He descended onto her lips without preamble or hesitance. His mouth was firm and persuasive and Bella was more than willing to be subjected to his eagerness.

She let go of her uncertainty and let herself become caught up in the way his mouth moved over hers and enjoyed the feel of his hands roving in confident arcs on the curves of her body. She couldn't help gasping when she felt his hand cup her breast.

The deepening of Edward's kiss snapped the last thread of awareness that Bella held onto. Her feelings took over. She had this overwhelming need, no want to be closer to Edward. There was no air between them and yet they still weren't close enough.

Is this what he meant when he said he wanted to be closer to her?

When the question popped in her head, Bella's mind made the jump to the one way they could be truly connected, and her body went into a frenzy to get there.

Her hands found their way under his shirt, clawing at his back and hips. Since he withdrew his mouth, she was keen on keeping it occupied on other parts of him.

The corner of his jaw.

The spot below his ear.

The place where his neck and shoulder met.

"Jesus, Bella." Edward withdrew his mouth from hers to catch his breath.

When she started sucking on his collarbone, he let out a deep groan and slid his hands down behind her thighs to pick her up and settle her on the edge of the sink.

Bella yelped. "My pants! They're wet!"

He raised an eyebrow at her and a corner of his mouth pulled up.

The sound of someone clearing their throat was heard in the doorway. Everyone was standing there with assorted looks of shock and amusement. Edward was holding up Bella and her arms and legs were wrapped around his body. Their clothes were wrinkled and Edward's hair was pulled in different directions. It was a full minute before anyone spoke.

"Dude, I am not eating on those dishes. Ever," Emmett said.

Edward let Bella down. She could hardly look at anyone. Her pajama bottoms were wet from the dishwater that peppered the edge of the sink.

Angela cleared her throat again. "Alice wanted to let Bella know that we have to leave really soon in order to make our appointments for the day spa."

Alice looked at both of them with her mouth partly open.

Bella shifted in her spot and said, "Oh. I'll go get ready then." She walked out of the kitchen so fast that Edward didn't get a chance to say anything.

Emmett said, "We're going to go play basketball." Emmett dragged Edward with him and Jasper followed.

When Alice finally collected herself, she looked at Angela and then at Rosalie. "What the hell just happened?"

Rosalie let out a small laugh. "I've never seen anyone do the dishes like that before."

**Author's Note:**

Big thanks to** mrskatycullen** and** sherylaf** for getting this back to me so quick. Thank you also to **Beautiful_Distraction** for validating this at twilighted.

Okay, so there's two chapters left. Chapter 6 is already with my betas and I'm going to start chapter 7 (the final chapter) this week. I am determined to get the last chapter out on Valentine's Day.

Next chapter: Edward's declaration. If you all haven't seen the amazing banner made my AngelAtTwlight on my profile, check it out! Last clue is on there. :)


	6. Chapter 6: Bet

**Note**: There's some swearing in this chapter.

**Chapter 6 "Bet"**

Emmett swung the Wii controller over his head, causing Ben to take a step away.

"Watch where you're swinging that thing!" Edward shook his head and then his eyes were trained on the screen, watching Emmett and Ben's Wii characters sword fighting battle.

With the basketball game over, they crowded in the living room, standing in front of the television.

"I know what I'm doing," he said, but at that moment Ben's Wii character slammed its sword across Emmett's character's face.

Jasper laughed. "Yeah. You know how to take a hit like a bitch."

"Shut the hell up!" Emmett's face screwed in concentration, brow pinched, tongue between teeth, arms flailing.

Edward said, "If Ben wins, I think Emmett should shave his chest."

"What the hell?" Emmett's character received another blow to the face.

Jasper said, "No, his legs."

"You're both going to get an ass whipping after this." Emmett raised the controller over his head and proceeded to rain down on Ben.

However, Ben blocked the hits, side stepped another hit, and while Emmett's character was bent down, he delivered a windmill swing that connected with the back of Emmett's head. His character crumpled to the ground while Ben's pumped his fists.

Edward and Jasper hissed and winced.

"This game is whack." Emmett tossed the controller on the couch.

Edward picked it up and proceeded to find his character.

Jasper said, "If this were a game about strength, there's no doubt you'd win. But it's about speed and agility."

Emmett rolled his eyes. "It's fucking sword fighting. Not even real swords."

"Exactly. You have to have more...finesse."

"Whatever. I'm going to find something to eat."

"I thought we were having lunch with the girls," Ben said.

Emmett stopped at the doorway to the kitchen. "I'm just getting a snack. Anyone want anything?"

They all said no, their eyes glued to the screen.

Playing basketball with each other formed an easy camaraderie among them. So much so, that insults were lobbed back and forth with no effort.

Jasper watched Edward and Ben play and it appeared that they were evenly matched. Emmett returned with a half a block of cheese.

Jasper raised an eyebrow at him. "That's a block of cheese."

He bit off a mouthful and grunted. His eyes glued to the screen. Edward and Ben's characters were circling each other, waiting for the other to make a move. After half a minute, Edward jabbed Ben in the throat.

"Nice," Emmett said with a mouthful of cheese.

"What happened to the rest of it?" Jasper asked.

"The rest of what?" Emmett popped the rest in his mouth and rubbed his hands on his basketball shorts.

"The cheese."

"It's in the fridge." He swallowed. "You want some?"

Jasper shook his head. "I'm good."

Edward and Ben were still circling each other. After a minute, Emmett got bored and threw himself on the couch.

Edward's eyes were still on the screen, but he said, "Dude, go take a shower."

"I will."

"You know mom doesn't like it when you sit on the furniture after we've been playing."

"I'll go after this game." There was more circling and then Ben jabbed Edward in the chest and took a swipe at his head, but was blocked.

They were both cautious, but made every hit count. They returned to circling and Emmett got bored again.

"You know, this kind of reminds me of when Luke is fighting Darth Vader," Emmett said.

"What do you mean?" Jasper asked.

"In Jedi, when Luke is all cautious and shit because he's got the force."

Jasper said, "I thought he was such a whiney bitch in Empire."

Emmett nodded. "I know, right?"

Edward was watching the screen, but he said, "How would you like it if you found out your dad is the epitome of evil?"

Ben said, "Epic fucking fail."

"And then he finds out about your sister and wants to go after her too?" Edward swung and then blocked Ben's counter jab.

"What was up with that shit?" Ben asked and swung again, but missed. "At that point, Vadar knew who Luke and Leia were, right? But he had to sound like a perv."

"Sick."

"You know what would be awesome?" Ben asked. "Sword fight between Darth Vader and Obi-Wan from Episode II."

"Hell yeah," Edward said. "Or even, Annikan from Episode II and Darth Vader."

"So, which Jedi would you want to be?" Ben asked.

"None," Edward said.

"What? Why not?" Ben sidestepped Edward's sword.

"Too much work."

"Are you serious? But it's the force."

Edward shrugged and then jabbed his sword at Ben's chest and got a hit. "Yeah, but I think I'd rather be Han Solo."

Ben scoffed. "He doesn't even have a light saber."

"Right, and he still got the girl."

Emmett snorted. "Oh my god. Geeks talking shit. Just don't start pulling hair and biting."

Edward ignored Emmett. He continued, "Even though Han Solo wasn't a Jedi, he proved that he could hold his own." Edward smirked. "Plus, his name is fucking win. I'd use it as a screen name at my guild if it wasn't already taken."

Jasper said, "I don't know. I kind of like the name Lando Calrissian."

"That guy was pimp." Emmett said, "He owned his own city."

Ben shook his head. "What if people asked where's your Millennium Falcon?"

Edward smirked again. "I'd tell them in it's in my pants, bitch."

Emmett and Jasper laughed and Ben shook his head, but after a minute, he laughed too.

"So, you're going to pay up on that bet, right, Edward?" Emmett asked.

Edward ignored him.

Jasper said, "I wish I'd brought my guitar, too. It would've been awesome."

Emmett looked at him. "You play?"

He nodded. "Just for fun though."

"That's cool." Emmett was actually looking forward to Edward playing and singing tonight especially because it had been a long time since they played some Michael Jackson. Then a small smile pulled at the corner of his lips. "I'm thinking Annie will be okay."

Jasper fought off the smile that threatened to spread across his face. "She's just a girl who claims that I am the one."

Edward said over his shoulder, "Shut up."

Emmett said, "She ran into the bedroom and was struck down, it was her doom."

Jasper said, "But the kid is not my son."

Emmett sat up in his spot. "It was Sunday, what a black day."

Jasper sang out, "Just remember to take my advice, remember to always think twice."

Emmett jumped up and belted out, "Annie, are you okay? Are you okay, Annie? Annie, are you okay? Are you okay, Annie?" Then he let out a shout very reminiscent of a famous pop singer.

Emmett continued singing while Jasper also sang. They continued singing the different songs in tandem and after a while, even Ben started humming.

Edward groaned. "I'm not singing."

Emmett stopped mid-kick in the air and lowered his leg. "What? You can't back out of the bet."

"It was a stupid bet."

"Whatever. You're just a sore loser."

"You weren't even playing fair."

"It was a pick-up game. You just weren't in it to win it."

Jasper laughed and Ben chuckled.

Then Jasper said, "Don't worry, man. We lost together. I'll harmonize with you."

"Get out of here with that shit. Why don't you guys go make out or something," Emmett said.

Jasper didn't miss a beat. "I don't think I'm the one he wants to make out with."

Edward's head snapped to Jasper and Ben took that opportunity to make his signature windmill move and land a crushing blow to Edward's head.

"Oh! Would you like some ice for that BURN!" Emmett cackled.

Edward narrowed his eyes at Jasper.

He held up his hands. "Sorry, but...the kitchen? Really?"

Edward shoved his fingers through his hair.

Ben asked, "What?"

A gleeful expression overcame Emmett's face. "We caught Edward and Bella in the kitchen-"

"Shut up, Emmett!" Edward gave him a warning look.

Ben's expression hardened. "You and Bella..."

Edward let out a short breath. "We're just...friends."

Emmett's face sobered. "Then what the hell was that in the kitchen?"

Edward said, "I...I don't know."

Emmett stood up. "What do you mean, you don't know?"

Edward fisted his hair with both hands. "I mean, I don't know. It just...happened."

Emmett studied his brother for a minute before he said, "You're my brother, but if you're just messing with Bella," he gave his brother a long look and said, "I'll end you."

Edward rolled his eyes. "Em, you're being ridiculous."

"I'm being serious." He put his hands on his hips. "Have you forgotten who she is? We've known her since high school. She's Alice's best friend. She's our friend. You can't just mess around with her and think things will be okay when you're done."

Edward's nostrils flared. "You really think I'd do something like that?"

Jasper held up his hands. "Guys-"

Emmett steam rolled his way through. "What about Tanya? You still haven't really explained what happened with her."

"I don't have to explain anything."

Emmett thrust his finger at Edward's chest. "So you're cheating on Tanya with Bella?"

Without even thinking, Edward pushed his brother, but Emmett merely stumbled back and righted himself immediately. Then he took a step toward Edward. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Edward rolled his shoulders back. "Don't say things like that."

"What do you expect me to say? Bella is totally clueless when it comes to guys, so someone has to look out for her or else they'd take advantage-"

Edward pushed Emmett with more force. "You don't know what you're talking about. I'd never do that to Bella."

Emmett pushed back. "Yeah, well, if you liked her, you wouldn't have inhaled her face in the kitchen in front of everyone."

Ben said, "What?"

Edward ignored Ben. "I told you it just happened. One minute we're talking and then all of a sudden-" He shook his head. "Never mind." He turned to walk away.

Emmett caught his arm. "Wait, so, do you like her?"

Edward couldn't meet his eyes.

"Edward? Do you?"

Jasper stepped in. "Man, let it go. Even though I haven't known you guys for very long, I can tell Edward isn't the type to take advantage of women."

Emmett studied his brother and then said, "No, but this one's different."

This time Edward looked at his brother. "Yeah, she is."

Their eyes locked on each others, daring the other to look away. Then Emmett's eyes widened.

"Oh shit."

"What?" Edward asked.

"You love her," Emmett said, his voice had no doubt.

Edward opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

Emmett pointed at Edward, his expression full of astonishment. "You love Bella."

Edward tugged at his hair. "Em, just...shut up."

"This whole time you've been in love with her?"

Edward narrowed his eyes at his brother and then turned and walked away. He took the stairs two at a time and then they heard a door slam.

When they heard the shower go on, Ben said, "Does Bella feel the same way?"

Before Emmett could answer, they heard a commotion at the front door.

Alice's voice sounded from the hall. "If you guys are watching porn, shut if off now!"

Jasper said, "We were playing Wii!"

A minute later, Alice, Rosalie, Angela, and Bella walked in. Alice said, "Oh. You guys really were playing."

Jasper shifted in his spot. "We wouldn't watch-"

Emmett rolled his eyes. "Don't lie, Jasper. We were about to put on that girl on girl porn you brought."

His eyes widened. "I didn't bring-"

Ben said, "We weren't going to watch any-"

"Ladies, besides sports and video games, we like porn." Emmett smirked. "Don't judge."

"What about sex? Shouldn't that be on your list, too." Rosalie raised an eyebrow at him.

Emmett crossed his arms over his chest. "Oh, trust me. I don't have any trouble in that department."

"Oh, I'm sure you don't." There was amusement in her eyes.

Emmett was not expecting that response. "Well, I-I just wanted you to know that."

Alice rolled her eyes this time. "What are you guys playing?"

Ben said, "We were playing the fencing game."

Jasper said, "But we could play whatever you want."

Alice gave him a warm smile. "Can we play some bowling?"

Bella had a feeling that they would all pair up. She heard the shower going and figured that it was Edward since he wasn't here.

She said, "I'm going to start lunch."

Angela said, "Oh, I'll help you with that."

She saw the look of disappointment on Ben's face before he had a chance to clear it. Bella said, "No, it's okay. I can manage."

Angela said, "Are you sure?"

She nodded. "You should play."

"Okay." She turned to Ben who had a pleased expression on his face now.

Bella headed to the kitchen. She thought about what she was going to make and then opened the fridge to take inventory of what they had. Soon, she was pulling out ingredients and setting them on the counter. Then she looked through the lower cabinets for the appliance she needed.

"What's for lunch?"

Bella was bent down, reaching for the panini press when she heard Edward's voice and straightened up. "I was thinking-"

His brow wrinkled in concern. "What's the matter?"

_He's not serious, is he?_

Edward was leaning on the counter which was not an unusual sight except for the fact that he had only a dark blue towel slung low on his hips. His hair was still wet at the tips and the light dusting of hair on his stomach was still damp too. She involuntarily licked her lips, realizing her hand had been right there the night before.

"Bella?"

Her eyes shot up to his face. _Fuck._ She'd been staring at his lap. _Did I just lick my lips?_

But the fact that Edward was just in a towel wasn't the only reason why she couldn't put two words together. He was wearing his glasses.

They were black, square framed glasses. He only wore them when he was tired and it wasn't like she had never seen him in them. She could count the number of times she'd seen him wear them on one hand.

She had a soft spot for geeks and Edward was a hot geek.

_Wait, what?_

Okay. So the thought wasn't new, but why was it different this time? It was because she knew what it was like to have his tongue in her mouth and his hands on her body. Her breathing picked up.

He took a step toward her. His expression became more agitated. "Are you okay?"

She shook her head, trying to get rid of the fog in her brain. "What? Oh, yeah. I..." His face relaxed, but he was standing in front of her now. Even with just a towel on, his body radiated warmth and Bella found herself moving toward him.

He said, "I just came down for a drink." Instead of going to the fridge for a bottle of water that he had intended to get, he took another step toward Bella.

Bella backed up, feeling the counter on her lower back. "Um, I should get lunch started."

He studied her face. "Are you sure you're okay?"

She nodded not trusting her voice.

His voice was low. "I'm sorry about earlier."

Her brow furrowed. "Why?"

"I don't want you to think that..."

Bella was mesmerized by the way his eyelashes seemed to rub against his glasses when he blinked.

He adjusted his glasses and then said, "I didn't mean to get so carried away." He reached for her hand. "I meant it when I said you're important to me and the way I treated you...I didn't mean to be so...inconsiderate."

She knew he was saying something important and that he was concerned about something, but Bella couldn't for the life of her understand a word he was saying. The warmth of his body, so close, yet far away, the clean smell of his skin, and the way his glasses magnified his jade colored eyes struck her short bus stupid.

"Can you...maybe if you took your glasses off?"

Edward's brow furrowed. "My glasses?"

"Please." She needed relief from the fixation she had on those glasses.

His brow remained creased when he took them off.

Nope. No relief whatsoever. Because now she became fixated on his bare chest. She was breathless. "You need clothes."

His brow smoothed and his cheeks turned pink. "Oh. I..." He took a step back.

Bella stepped forward. "I just...if you're trying to tell me something important, you need to have clothes on. And you can't wear your glasses."

He wore a confused expression on his face and after a minute, it was replaced with amusement. "So, you like my glasses?"

_I'd like you to do things to me in those glasses._

His eyebrows shot up.

She said that out loud.

"What?" She became paranoid, thinking that maybe he just read her mind.

"Really? You like my glasses that much?"

"What are you talking about?" She felt her face heat up.

He hesitated before he slipped his glasses back on. Then he looked at her, his eyelashes fluttering against the lenses when he blinked.

Her voice was small. "So not fucking fair."

He couldn't help the smile that spread across his lips. For the first time in his acquaintance with Bella, Edward had the upper hand.

He leaned down and kissed the spot below her ear. His voice was low. "I'll just go upstairs and put some clothes on."

Edward turned to walk out the kitchen, but not before he looked at her again with a small smile.

Once he was gone, Bella crumpled against the counter. She wasn't sure what just happened, but she was fighting the urge to follow Edward up to his room. It was Edward and yet he was new to her now. She couldn't help the magnetic attraction and for the life of her she didn't know why she was fighting it.

She pushed herself off the counter, deciding that maybe he needed help getting dressed. Before she could make it out the kitchen, Angela appeared.

"Do you still need help with lunch?"

Bella blinked several times. "Oh, yeah." She was quick to recover. "Where's Ben?"

Angela walked over to the counter. "He went home to shower and change. He'll be back though."

"Right." Bella joined Angela and proceeded to prep the food for the panini sandwiches.

They worked in silence for a few minutes. Angela was watching the bacon while Bella sliced tomatoes. Bella was glad for the silence and the tasks. She realized that she was about to follow Edward to his room to do what?

She wasn't sure what, but she was pretty sure that Edward wouldn't be the only one without clothes on. Was she ready for that? At the moment, with her brain working in proper order, she didn't think so, but things were different when she was actually with Edward. Her brain went on vacation and her emotions, or better yet, her hormones took over.

She realized that she didn't want this to be a fleeting moment with Edward. She wanted more. She wanted all of him.

_Oh shit._

"Are you okay?" Angela asked.

"Hmm? Oh yeah. Just...we should make some tortellini soup. That would go great with the paninis."

"Good idea." Angela went to the refrigerator to get the tortellini.

Bella returned her attention to the panini press, but her mind was thinking about the man upstairs getting dressed much to her dismay.

So much for boycotting love.

* * * * *

The rest of the day was spent in easy company. After lunch, they all took a stroll in the woods surrounding the Cullen property. The trees were lush from the rains and the air was crisp. They all started as a group, but eventually paired off. When they returned to the house, they watched another movie before they had dinner. Alice and Rosalie took up dinner duty. After dinner, they had dessert on the deck. It was a cool evening, but Alice brought out several heavy blankets and Emmett lit the fire pit.

It was a nice day, but Edward couldn't help feeling like something was off with Bella. She was receptive to his attention, but there was a hesitation in her actions to him. He suspected that she was still unsure of things between them. He didn't know how to make it any clearer. Then he had an idea.

He was the last to join them on the deck because he had to retrieve something from his room.

When he returned, Emmett saw the guitar in Edward's hand and said, "So, are you paying up on that bet?"

He nodded and looked around, but didn't see Bella.

Angela said, "She went in to get the marshmallows."

He smiled. "Thanks." He didn't realize he was so obvious.

They sat in a circle around the fire pit. Although they had paired off during their afternoon walk, this evening, the ladies sat with each other. They talked in low voices and would occasionally look up at one of the guys and smile.

Edward sat next to Jasper who was on his right. Next to Jasper was Ben and then Emmett. Angela was on his left and next to her was Alice and then Rosalie. Bella came a minute later and sat in between Rosalie and Emmett. Edward had hoped they'd get to sit closer, but he figured she'd be able to hear him either way.

When she saw him with his guitar, her eyebrows shot up. "You're going to play?"

He smiled. "Yeah. I...lost a bet."

"He lost this afternoon when we were playing basketball." Emmett let out a small laugh. "He has to play _and_ sing a Michael Jackson song."

Alice groaned. "Oh, no. Is this going to be like that time you guys were in that Michael Jackson phase?"

Rosalie said, "They had a Michael Jackson phase?"

"Actually, it started off with some Jackson Five stuff and then it just..." Alice waved her hand.

Bella laughed. "Emmett would play the shit out of _Smooth Criminal_."

"Don't judge." He looked at Edward. "So, come on. Play something." He really wanted to hear some _Smooth Criminal._

Edward shook his head and laughed, but began to strum his guitar.

Emmett didn't recognize the song. It was familiar, but Emmett couldn't quite catch the melody. "What is this?"

"Quiet, Em," Alice said.

Then all of a sudden, Edward's voice sounded out in the night air. It was low, but confident. He sang about a girl in high heels who gave him a fever he'd never known.

"What?" Emmett's voice interrupted.

"Emmett," Bella said with a warning tone.

"But-"

Edward continued singing about how he liked the girl's dress, her walk, the way she talked. Then he went on about feeling her fever from miles around and how he'd pick her up in his car and they'd paint the town.

"This is whack!"

Bella elbowed Emmett in the ribs.

Rosalie said, "Shut up!"

The ladies were all mesmerized. Angela thought it was sweet. Alice was impressed. Rosalie was intrigued. Bella wanted to climb on his lap.

She was pretty sure he was singing her favorite Michael Jackson song.

His voice crooned the words with gentle determination. He sang about kissing him twice and telling him you're the one for me.

Then he sang the chorus.

_The way you make me feel _

_You really turn me on _

_You knock me off of my feet _

_My lonely days are gone_

Edward played the song and sang at an unhurried pace. His voice held no hesitation and it was rich with feeling. His head was bowed down in concentration, but there was no doubt of his intentions.

He began singing the second verse. Even though the fire pit was in between them, the heat she felt was not from it. She knew he only sang and played for himself. He once sang and played at a party when they were sophomores and afterward, there was notoriety lasting until his senior year that he was a guitar player that made the girls' panties drop even though he never played again. He hated the attention and decided not to play in front of people again. At least, not in public.

Sometimes when she slept over back then, she'd hear him playing at night. He didn't sing, but when he did, Bella would strain to listen. She never could hear the words clearly, but she liked the sound of his voice.

He was singing the chorus again, but this time Jasper harmonized with him. Edward snuck a look at him and smiled. Emmett was about to make a comment, but Bella silenced him by stepping on his foot.

Edward started the third verse and Bella thought she was going to combust. She couldn't believe how blind she'd been. How could she have not seen it before? But was this really all for her? She was scared to hope. It would be too good to be true because that would mean-

As if reading her thoughts, Edward finally looked up and his eyes found hers. He sang the next verse while keeping his eyes on hers.

_I never felt so in love before _

_Just promise baby, you'll _

_Love me forevermore _

_I swear I'm keepin' you _

_Satisfied _

_'Cause you're the one for me_

He sang the chorus again, but he was watching her reaction to his open declaration.

Bella's breath was unsteady and she felt her eyes moisten. He kept singing, but she no longer heard the words. Her mind replayed the line he sang. _I never felt so in love before._

When Edward finished, he looked at Bella with apprehension. He couldn't read the expression on her face.

Everyone looked at Bella and then back at Edward. They looked back and forth, waiting for one of them to say something.

"That was..." Angela's voice trailed off.

"Oh my god. I can't believe..." Alice said.

Rosalie looked at Bella and then shook her arm. "Are you really not going to say anything? Because that was a big fucking gesture and I'm pretty sure if you're not, Edward has two other women he can choose from right now."

Emmett sat up. "What?"

Everyone laughed.

Bella blinked several times, coming out of her daze. "Uh, can we..." She stood up and moved toward the house.

Edward stood up.

"Is it okay if I borrow your guitar?" Jasper asked.

Edward handed it wordlessly to him and followed Bella into the house. Bella wanted to talk to him and it could be the end of him.

But he needed her to know. He wanted her to know. He took a determined pace to the house. When he got to the kitchen, Bella wasn't there.

"Bella?"

"I'm in the living room."

He decided that he had to say a few things before she gave him her final decision. When he got there, he almost lost his resolve when she saw her swipe a tear from her face.

"Bella, can I just say something?"

She nodded.

"I know that probably wasn't the best way to tell you..." He scratched the back of his neck. "But, I had to take the chance. I know it'll probably take some time for you to decide how you want to handle..." He ran his fingers through his hair. "I just want a chance, Bella. Maybe if you want...I'd really like to go out on a date with you." He cringed.

She looked like she was going to cry. Edward realized that maybe she was trying to think of a way to let him down gently and it was tearing her apart. He hadn't meant to make her feel so bad about it. He hated to see her so torn up.

"Bella, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. You don't have to-"

Before he knew what was happening, Bella's mouth had covered his. She kissed him with an urgency that surprised him, but he soon recovered and kissed her back.

In between kisses, she said, "Yes." She kissed him again. "Yes."

Edward smiled against her lips. "Thank you."

They exchanged a few kisses before they heard a noise from the doorway. They looked up and saw Alice.

She smiled. "It's getting cold outside and we were wondering if it was okay to come in."

Bella laughed. "Of course it is."

Instead of walking back to the patio, Alice walked to them. She grinned and hugged Bella. "I'm so excited for you and Edward."

Bella hugged her back and then let her go. "Me, too."

Alice turned to her brother and gave him a playful swat on his arm. "How come you never said anything before?"

He rolled his eyes. "Why would I tell you before I told Bella?"

Alice feigned a hurt expression. "You know, I could've helped you."

He shook his head. "I think I did fine on my own."

Bella looked at him. "I think you did fine, too."

He swung his arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head.

Soon, the others trickled in. They decided to play Scrabble, but it soon turned into a competition over who could make the most references to _Lord of the Rings_ which meant Edward and Ben dominated the board with words like Gimlis beard and My Precious. Ben won with potaytoh.

Once the game was winding down, everyone called it a night. They were all returning to the city in the morning. Angela had come with Alice, but Ben offered to drive her back. She happily accepted.

When everyone got ready for bed, Emmett and Edward retired to their respective rooms. Angela, Rosalie, and Bella retired to Alice's. Alice stayed up to do some tidying up, shooing everyone else to bed. Jasper insisted on helping. Once they were done, they sat on the couch, talking well into the night and eventually falling asleep together.

Mostly everyone went to bed satisfied with how the weekend had turned out and even more pleased that Monday was a holiday. Sleep came easily for mostly everyone.

Mostly everyone.

Bella lay in a sleeping bag in Alice's room, staring at the shadows flittering across the ceiling. Even though she had said good night to Edward an hour ago, she still couldn't sleep. She was restless and if she was honest, she wanted to be with Edward. The reluctant way he let her go told her that he wasn't quite ready to be parted from her either.

After another minute of watching the shadows dance, Bella made a decision. She was careful to slip out of her sleeping bag and get up. She checked Alice's bed and saw that Rosalie and Angela were still asleep. She realized that it was probably a good thing that it was her turn to take the floor tonight because it made it easier to sneak away.

The chill in the air on her bare legs had her moving and she left the room, making sure to close the door behind her with as little noise as possible.

When she got to Edward's door, she hesitated when she reached for the knob. If it was locked, then what would she do? She couldn't knock because then it would alert the whole house of her intentions. She wrapped her hand around the knob and turned. It turned with no resistance and soon the door gave way.

She stepped in and shut the door behind her, but at the last moment, the sound of the door latch clicking shut echoed in Edward's room. She winced.

"Bella?" Edward's voice was alert as if he hadn't slept at all.

"Yeah," she whispered. "I...I was wondering if it was okay if..."

He sat up and pulled away the blanket on his left side. "Come here."

Bella walked over to the bed and slid in next to him. She pulled the covers over herself and then they settled next to each other.

Without a word, Edward turned on his side facing her and gathered her into his arms. He kissed her temple. "I was hoping you'd come."

She was surprised by his sudden nearness, but pleased. One of her arms snaked around him while the other got sandwiched between them, her hand splayed on his bare chest.

"Is that why the door was unlocked?" she asked.

He nodded, his lips brushing against her hair. "Is it still unlocked?"

"No." The word hung in the air for several moments.

Then Edward said, "Are you okay? You're trembling."

"I'm fine." She burrowed herself deeper under the covers, into Edward's arms. "It was just a little chilly coming over here."

His arms wrapped tighter around her. "I'd offer some pants for you to borrow, but the only decent pair I have is on me."

She smiled into his chest and tucked one of her legs between his flannel-covered legs. "Don't worry. I think I can manage."

Quiet overcame them. Just when Bella felt herself slipping away, Edward said, "I'm so happy you're here."

She smiled again. "Me too."

They didn't say anything else, but they were soon sleeping, tangled up in each other's arms.

**Author's Note: **

Special thanks to **mrskatycullen **and **sherylaf **for their beta help**.** You guys are awesome. Thanks also to **Beautiful_Distraction **for validating this at twilighted.

Thank you everyone for reading and reviewing. I'm so glad you're all enjoying this story. I was surprised by the response to the previous chapter. Laughing out loud at a computer lab? On a crowded bus? Telling friends about the story even though they don't read ff? Tears? Choking from laughing so hard? Wow. You guys are awesome. (I didn't think I was being that funny.)

It was pointed out to me that the geek-trash talk between Ben and Edward at the beginning was just a bit too geeky. Sorry about that if it's not your cup of tea. I thought it was hot.

Final chapter should be posted on Sunday. :)


	7. Chapter 7: Mount Doom

Happy Belated Valentine's Day! And for those of you who didn't celebrate, Happy Monday!

**Warning: Chapter Rating NC-17 for sexual content near the end of the chapter**

**Chapter 7 "Mount Doom"**

Edward put his book down on the coffee table, took off his glasses, and scrubbed his eyes with his fist. Then he stretched out on his couch and let out a long sigh.

He'd been home for a little over an hour and he missed Bella with such an intensity that was too much to put into words.

Between the drive back to the city and settling back in, it had been almost five hours since he last saw and spoke to Bella. It was a little longer since he last touched her.

His mind wandered to their early morning activities. He wasn't sure how long they were asleep, but it was still dark and the house was quiet. However, their bodies seemed to have other ideas. He was caught in a state of dream-like awareness of Bella's body in his arms and by the time he realized that he wasn't dreaming, Bella was topless and they each had one hand in the other person's underwear.

He couldn't help smiling at the memory of waking up to Bella moaning against his mouth while his fingers explored her. It was the hottest moment of his life.

He hoped that there would be another opportunity again, but he didn't dare expect it. Even though Bella was very willing, Edward wanted to do things right. They made plans to go on a date Friday. He and Bella had been friends for so long that he thought this date would be his chance to show her he could be more.

He didn't want her thinking that he only wanted sex with her.

Even though he really wanted to, he hoped they'd get to that point eventually.

He checked his watch and it was just past noon. They all left his parents' house early in the morning. Even though Monday was a holiday, everyone decided to go home and regroup before the start of the work week.

It was a good idea in theory, but now it just made Edward feel like more time until Friday came along.

Edward put his glasses back on and sat up on his couch. He wondered if it would be too soon to call Bella. He shook his head.

_She'll think you're desperate._

Edward made a mental list of things he should do in order to take his mind off Bella: check emails for anything work related, start laundry, and go grocery shopping. Yes, these were all things he knew he should be doing. Instead, he decided he should play some WoW.

He was about to get up, when his phone rattled across the top of the coffee table. He picked it up and when he checked the caller ID, he smiled.

Edward pushed the talk button. "I was just thinking about you."

"Really?" Bella giggled. "I was thinking about you, too."

His eyebrow arched. "Good things, I hope."

She was quiet for a second before she said, "Define good."

He couldn't help smiling, but glad she couldn't see. "I was thinking about this morning. That was good."

There was another hesitation again before she said, "Very good." Then she said in a rush, "What are you doing today?"

His eyebrows shot up. "I was reading before you called and I was going to mess around on the computer." A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "What about you?"

She let out a long sigh. "Nothing much. I was thinking of getting lunch."

He sat at the edge of his seat. "What did you have in mind?"

"Greek. Gyros?" He could her a nervous tone in her voice.

"That sounds good." He hesitated before he asked, "Would you like to have lunch together?"

"That would be really nice. Are you sure you're not busy?"

"No. Not at all."

She hesitated before she said, "You're sure?"

"Positive."

"Okay." Then she hung up.

Edward held the phone away from him and saw that the call ended. Did she hang up? Or did the line get disconnected? He was about to call her back when there was a knock on the door.

If it was a solicitor, he wouldn't answer it. He looked through the peep hole and his eyes widened. He took no time to open the door.

Bella stood in front of him with a take-out bag. "I know this looks really sketchy, but I bought lunch first and I realized afterward that I probably should've called you first instead." She gave him a sheepish looks. "I was hoping we could eat lunch together."

Edward gave her a warm smile. "I think that's a great idea." He stepped away from the door to let her in. "It's not sketchy either."

They stood in the entryway for a minute. Bella shifted from one foot to the other while Edward just stared at her.

She felt her face grow warm. "So..."

"Oh. Sorry." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Kitchen?"

She nodded and then followed him.

Bella walked to the kitchen island and placed the food on the breakfast bar at the end. Then she grabbed some forks and napkins from a drawer.

Edward went to the fridge. "What would you like to drink?"

"Whatever you're having is fine."

He reached in and pulled out two bottles of water. He set the bottles down and took the stool next to her.

They unpacked the food and the aroma of the gyros wafted in the air.

"Thank you for picking up lunch." He leaned toward her and kissed her cheek. "It looks really good."

She smiled. "I got the idea from Alice."

Edward was chewing, but looked at her with a mild furrow on his forehead.

"It turns out she and Jasper went out for lunch today. She mentioned that they were going out for Greek and it sounded good to me too." She picked at her salad. "She invited me to join them, but...I wanted to see you."

He rested his hand on her knee and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I'm glad you did." He hesitated before he said, "I was going to call you and ask what you were doing today, but I thought maybe that would be a bit desperate."

She let out a small laugh. "No. Not as desperate as Emmett."

He groaned. "What did he do now?"

"I don't know if I should say." She licked off some tahini sauce on her thumb. "He made me Fight Club swear."

A mild frown spread across his lips. "Oh, I see."

Bella peeked at him and saw he was picking at his salad now when just a minute ago, he was eating with gusto. She bumped shoulders with him. "Of course I'll tell you, but you have to promise not to say anything."

He looked at her with subdued eagerness. "Okay."

"Well, you know how Em was bugging Rosalie for her number?"

He let out a small laugh. "I still can't believe he walked in on her while she was in the shower."

"Yeah." She rolled her eyes. "I don't know how much of that was an accident."

He shook his head. "So, why did he swear you into secrecy?"

She looked over her shoulder. She knew Emmett wasn't here, but she still couldn't help it. "Well, he's planning on having car trouble and asking Rosalie if she could help him out. While she's checking his car, he wants to surprise her with tickets to a monster jam rally."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "What makes him think that she'd like something like that?"

She lowered her head. "I may have mentioned to him that I heard Rosalie talking about going."

He laughed. Then he said, "I hope you told Emmett he owes you."

She nodded. "Hell yeah." She held up two fingers. "He owes me twice now."

"Twice?" He took a bite of his gyro.

"For Rosalie and the other thing."

"What other thing?"

She gave him a pointed look. "You know."

His brow furrowed. "What?"

She let out a short sigh. "The Angry Dragon."

"Oh, yeah." He shook his head. "So, what are you going to make Emmett do?"

Her smile was gleeful. "Well, I don't have to pay for a drink. Ever."

His eyebrows shot up. "Really? He agreed to that?"

"Yeah." She took a sip of water. "He wanted to be even on that pretty badly."

"Well, he should." Since he finished his meal, Edward pushed aside the empty container. "What else did he agree to do?"

Bella swallowed the last of her meal. "His box seats for five home games."

His eyes widened. "Shit. You really got him by the short hairs. He must've really been desperate to let you have that." Emmett was fierce in his devotion to the Mariners. The fact that he was willing to give up five home games showed just how much he wanted things to work with Rosalie.

Bella had a smug expression.

"But, will Rosalie even go out with him? She didn't seem too impressed with Emmett. He's giving up a lot if she doesn't even like him a little."

"Oh, she likes him."

"Really?"

She pushed away her to-go container. "Yeah. She doesn't want to seem too easy."

His brow creased. "But what about Lucy? I thought Em really liked her."

Bella shifted on the stool. "Yeah, about that..."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "What?"

Bella ducked her head.

"Bella?"

She mumbled. "Fight Club."

He rolled his eyes to the ceiling. "You know you're just going to tell me, so just tell me."

She bit her lower lip, looking like she was trying to hold back what she was going to say. After another second, she blurted out, "Lucy and Maria are lovers."

His eyebrows disappeared into his hairline. "What?"

"You have to promise not to say anything. Not even to Alice." Her expression became serious. "Fight Club."

He had to reign in his amusement over the situation. She was so serious, but it was also endearing how serious she was about it. She and Emmett were always loyal to each other and then when they started doing these Fight Club pacts, they bonded even more. He couldn't help being a little jealous at their closeness.

This was the first time Bella was swearing him in to a Fight Club secret. His heart soared and he hoped this wouldn't be the last time.

With a small smile, he promised. "Fight Club."

She let out a sigh of relief. Then launched into the story of how Lucy called Emmett to tell him that they couldn't see each other anymore and how she met someone else.

"How did he find out about Maria?" he asked.

Her eyes lit up. "From Jasper."

He turned his body so it was facing her. "Jasper?"

She nodded. "Remember when you told me that Lucy and Maria knew each other?"

He nodded.

"Well, Maria told Jasper that she met someone else, but she was more forthcoming and told Jasper about Lucy."

His lips formed an O.

"Jasper was cool about it because they hadn't been dating for very long. Then he called Emmett to talk about it and Emmett flipped."

"I bet he did." His brow furrowed in concern. "Is he okay?"

"Yeah, he's okay about it." She let out a small laugh. "Actually, I think he's more than okay. I think he'd tell people about it if Jasper hadn't told him not to say anything."

"Why?"

She hesitated before she said, "Maria and Lucy aren't ready to make their relationship public."

He shook his head. "Well, I'm glad Em met Rosalie. I just hope he knows what he's doing."

"He'll be fine." It was a moment before she said, "I stopped temping at Ben's store."

Edward had gotten up to throw away their trash, but at Bella's comment he stopped mid-way to the trash bin. "You stopped? Why?"

"I just...Even though we're friends, I didn't want Angela to worry about anything. I mean, of course, nothing will happen and she trusts me, but I felt kind of bad about the whole thing."

His brow creased. He threw away their trash and then he walked back to her. "What do you feel bad about?"

She thought for a moment, before she said, "I didn't want to make Ben uncomfortable. I know...he liked me a little and things have changed since then, but I didn't..."

He took one of her hands in his. "I get it."

She gave him a hesitant smile.

There was a shift in their relationship and they both felt it, but neither felt bold enough to bring up the state of it. It was all so new and scary at the same time.

Bella's eyes wandered and took in the kitchen. "It's been a long time since I've been here. It's been a month. I think the last time I was here was—"

"The dinner party."

Bella didn't notice the change in his tone or that he was looking at her so closely. She was looking at a Van Gogh print of _Cafe Terrace_ that was mounted on the wall. "It was a really nice party too. God, the food was amazing. The Osso Bucco was so tender. Then there was the Berry Trifle. Tanya is such a good cook. I'd marry her if--" She caught herself and mentally kicked herself.

She looked at Edward who wore a mild expression of amusement. She said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to--"

"It's okay." He smiled. "She is a good cook."

Besides being a good cook, Tanya was also fluent in six languages. She worked as a freelance translator for various international businesses and even did some work for the United Nations. When she wasn't translating, she taught a Spanish class at the local parks and recreation program.

He didn't seem bothered by her slip up, but he now had this expression on his face that she couldn't read. She suddenly felt self conscious about being at Edward's place. Tanya had been practically living with him at the time.

"What happened with Tanya?" she asked.

The expression he had disappeared and was replaced with surprise. "What do you mean?"

Her brow furrowed. "I mean, she's beautiful, smart, and perfect. I don't understand why...why you're not with her."

He took her hand and brushed his finger across her knuckles. "I'm not in love with her."

When he looked at her through those square dark rimmed glasses with his eyes so intense, Bella almost lost herself.

Almost.

She shook her head and willed her eyes to look elsewhere. They landed on their joined hands. "But, you were with her for so long and how could you...you said that you love me, but...I don't see how you could when...you had Tanya."

He let out a long sigh. After a moment, he said, "Tanya and I...she's special and I'll always consider her a good friend, but...I couldn't be what she wanted."

She chanced to look at him. "What did she want?"

He studied her face for a moment before he said, "She wanted all of me and I couldn't..."

She turned to face him. "But, you guys were together for so long. What happened?"

He continued to hold Bella's hand, but his other hand tugged at his hair. "I thought I was okay with how things were. We got along fine. But...I never felt..._the spark_ with her."

Bella remembered the night they watched _Iron Man_ and how the electricity she felt being next to Edward was almost unbearable, but she wouldn't give it up for anything. She couldn't imagine being without it, without him now.

Edward continued, "I know I sound like the biggest douche. Like I strung along Tanya for a long time, but I told her that even though I loved her, I wasn't in love with her. And she was okay with that." He tugged at his hair again, trying to find the courage to say the next part. "I was okay with it too for a while until...I realized that I couldn't live like that anymore. So, we talked and decided that we should just be friends."

She waited for him to continue, but he didn't. After half a minute, she said, "But I don't understand. What changed?"

He let go of his hair and squeezed her hand. "It was the night of the dinner party."

She thought back to that night and couldn't think of anything out of the ordinary. "I don't remember anything out of place that night."

Edward let out a small laugh. "Of course you wouldn't, _Mary_. You really are clueless sometimes, you know."

She let go of his hand and gave him a gentle shove. "Well, maybe you should clue me in then."

He took her hand again and was pleased that she let him. "You had a date. Felix."

Her eyes widened in recognition. "Oh, I totally forgot about that."

He shook his head.

"That bothered you?"

"I'd be lying if I said it didn't, but not more than any other times when you were with some guy."

Bella felt her heart flutter at the admission. "Then what? Why was Felix different?"

"He wasn't." He looked at her with his brow furrowed. "You really don't remember what happened that night?"

The dinner was a month ago, so the events of the evening weren't as clear. She remembered they had some wine and apples with baked brie before dinner. Then there was the amazing Osso Bucco and the parmesan risotto.

Edward's voice cut into her thoughts. "You only remember the food, huh?"

"What? It was good."

He laughed. "You don't remember anything else?"

"Well, I also remember I almost missed dessert because I spilled wine on my dress."

He moved to the edge of his stool toward her. "Do you remember what happened after that?"

She thought for a second and then said, "Yeah, Tanya had me change and took my dress to have it dry cleaned for me. That was really nice. She didn't have to do it. It was my fault--"

"Wait, do you remember what happened when you had to change?"

She let out a short sigh, frustrated about having to remember such a minute details. "Um, I went to your room and grabbed a shirt. Tanya was trying to get the stain out and when it wasn't coming out, she said that she'd get it dry cleaned."

He gave her an expectant look like she was supposed to remember more.

After another minute, she said, "Oh, you let me borrow some clothes to wear home."

He let out a small laugh. "I put you in the oldest shirt I had and the baggiest pair of sweats I could find."

Her brow furrowed. "Uh, okay. Why?"

Edward picked up a strand of her hair and tugged at the end. "Because I didn't want Felix getting any ideas about you and him."

"What?" They were facing each other, but Bella moved closer, so her knees came in between his legs. "That doesn't make any sense."

He let out a sigh. "Of course you wouldn't remember," he muttered. Then he said, "While Tanya was in the kitchen trying to find some club soda for the stain, I went in to check on you."

There was heat behind the look he gave her and Bella swallowed, but waited for him to continue.

"You were wearing one of my buttoned down shirts." The image of Bella's lace panties peeking from underneath the hem of his shirt was burned in his mind. His voice was uneven. "Seeing you in my room like that...." He reached for her face. "You were going home with someone else and I realized then that I wanted things to be different between us so badly."

She barely managed to say. "Edward."

"I watched you leave other times with someone else before and I always told myself that when I'd get a chance, I'd tell you how I felt. And every time I did, I chickened out. I'd tell myself that our friendship was way too important to risk. But that night, seeing you that way, and realizing that someone else might see you that way...I couldn't pretend anymore." He took her hand in his. "After everyone left, I told Tanya that I couldn't...that we...I told her that I thought we should just be friends."

She stared at him in disbelief that Tanya seemed so understanding about it all. "Just like that? And she was okay with everything?"

He shook his head. "She was hurt and said that maybe we should just take a break, but I told her that it wasn't fair to me or her." He licked his lips before he said, "At first, I wanted to call you and tell you how I felt, but Tanya was pretty broken up, so I didn't want to hurt her anymore than I already did."

He ran his fingers through his hair. "Then after a while, I thought I should wait until the time was right. But as I waited, I started to have doubts. I didn't think you'd ever see me as more than just a friend."

A small smile played on his lips. "Then Tanya started bugging me to tell you."

Bella's eyebrows shot up. "She did?"

He nodded. "She's really been supportive and she kept telling me that I better do something about my feelings or else she'd kick my ass for breaking up with her and having nothing to show for it."

Bella laughed.

"Then Alice told me about this weekend." He took in a steady breath. "I thought maybe I should at least ask you out on a date. I hadn't planned to confess..." He rubbed the back of his neck. "But I just couldn't...I was tired of holding back my feelings for you."

She slid off the stool and stood in between Edward's legs. "I'm glad you didn't." She gave him a soft kiss. "I'm sorry I was so oblivious."

He chuckled and returned her kiss. "You're also really hard to read sometimes."

"Well, I'll try not to be." She kissed him again.

He returned her kiss again. He was about to say something, but Bella nipped at his lower lip and his thoughts fled his brain. His hands reached around her waist and drew her closer to him. Bella wrapped her arms around his neck and their kiss deepened.

This is what Edward had been missing in his life. Bella was his friend and he had always wondered what it would be like if they were more. It was nothing like he imagined. It was so much better. They already knew each other so well and he always enjoyed being around her. He thought he could live with just that, but now, experiencing the physical aspect of their growing intimacy, Edward knew that he could never go back to being just friends. He wanted all of it.

He broke their kiss when he felt it getting heated. He rested his forehead and said, "Friday seems so far away. I wish we could go on our date sooner."

She smiled. "Anxious to take me out?"

He nodded. "I just...I don't want you to think that I...I want to do this right."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "What's the right way?"

He kissed the apple of her cheek. "Taking you out on dates. Showing you that I love spending time with you. Treating you the way you should be treated." He kissed the corner of her mouth. "I don't want to rush into anything too soon because...you're important to me."

"But, you..." She felt her cheeks growing warm, but fought it off. She lowered her eyes, but then forced herself to look up at him. "I'm okay if we rushed into something."

He rested his forehead against hers. "Bella--"

"Edward." She reached up and tangled her fingers into his hair. "I love you."

His head shot up at the words. "You...you don't have to say--"

"I mean it." Her fingers trailed down to brush his cheek. "I know most times I'm slow, but I'm sure about this. I'm yours, Edward." She gave him a shy look. "If you'll have me."

He let out a shuddered breath. Then he kissed her forehead and said, "Let's go to the movies."

Bella's heart fell at her feet. "What?"

He stood up and put some distance between them. "We have to get out of here."

"You want to leave?" She didn't like that her voice wavered.

"I don't want to leave, but if we stay any longer, I don't think I can-" He tugged at the section of hair at the nape of his neck. "When we're telling our children about how we started dating, I don't want to tell them we couldn't even make it to our first date because I couldn't keep my hands off you."

She couldn't help grinning. "You know there's a bunch of things I could say about what you just said, but all I can think about is how sweet it was and how much I'd like to--"

"Woman, don't you dare finish that sentence." He gave her a stern look which made him look even more adorable. "I'm going to get the paper to look up show times. And we're watching something with guns and fighting. Lots of swearing too." He turned on his heel and left the kitchen.

Bella couldn't help laughing and followed him out. She found him in the living room, scanning the paper.

She said, "You know how hot it is that you take charge like this. Especially with those glasses. I could just--"

"If we leave now, we can catch that animated movie. It'll be good and wholesome."

She laughed again. "Whatever you want is fine with me." He was still scanning the paper. She couldn't help messing with him though. "But you know how hard it is for me, being with you...in the dark."

"Bella," he warned.

She held up her hands. "Fine. Can I at least freshen up before we leave?"

He let out a sigh of relief. "Yes. Go ahead."

She disappeared into the hall toward the bathroom.

Edward took his glasses off and tilted his head back. Then he pinched the bridge of his nose. She was right. It would be difficult being in the dark with her and not touching her. He just wanted to do this one thing. A simple date. That's all. Why was it becoming so difficult?

Oh, right. Because Bella decided that she wanted to jump his bones like ten minutes ago.

The realization made him snap his head forward. Was that really such a bad thing?

_Focus, Edward._

He always imagined that they would date for a while before they'd cross _that _line. He was prepared for some second and third base action for a while, so the fact that Bella was ready to slide into home was a startling realization. He thought it would take her a while to adjust to the change in their relationship.

But apparently not.

The girl could be so dense sometimes, but when she finally got a clue it was like in _Return of the King_ when the ring gets thrown into Mount Doom and the Eye falls, everyone celebrates and cries at the same time because everything is right with the world, but it came at a price.

Edward stopped his pacing and shook his head. He decided to compromise. If they could just make it through the movie, he would let whatever happened afterwards, happen.

He scanned the show times for a movie with the shortest running time and noticed that Bella had not returned yet.

"Bella?" No answer.

He walked down the hall toward the bathroom to check on her. When he found the door wide open and the bathroom empty, he called out again, "Bella?"

"In here."

He followed the sound of her voice to his room. He wondered what she could be doing in his room and the realization hit him a second too late. If he had realized it sooner, Edward would not have gone to his room.

He wasn't going anywhere now.

Mount Doom was crumbling around him and all he could do was celebrate.

Bella was standing in his room, examining a print of Klimt's _The Kiss_. When she heard Edward's footsteps stop at the door, she said, "This is one of my favorites."

His voice was rough. "I know."

His eyes took in the sight before him. Bella in one of his buttoned down shirts. It was just like the night of the dinner party. His breath was unsteady. "What..."

She turned to look at him. "I thought we could go to a movie another time."

He gulped when she moved toward him.

"I really think it's sweet that you want to go on a date first, but...we're here now." She stood in front of him. "Wouldn't you rather be here...alone...with me?"

"Bella," he said, hating that his voice wavered. He tried to remain focused and was going to tell Bella they should talk about this more, but her determined expression told him that she wasn't interested in talking. She placed a hand on his chest and the other became entangled with the hair at the nape of his neck. His hands lifted of their own accord and gripped her hips with a slight tremble. He felt his resolve slipping. In one last desperate plea, he said, "The children." He let out an unsteady breath. "Think of the children, Bella."

The hand that was threaded at the nape of his neck gave a gentle tug and a low grumble sounded in his chest and he complied by tilting his head to the side. She pressed her mouth on the base of his neck and was pleased to hear his breath catch. Her hand closed around a fistful of hair as she pulled him down to her. Her lips brushed against his ear when she said, "We could tell them that we had Greek food for lunch on our first date."

"But that doesn't--" Edward hadn't noticed the hand Bella rested on his chest had made a trail across his shoulder and then down his arm. He also didn't notice the casual way she guided his arm to wrap around him. What he _did_ notice, however, was that Bella wasn't wearing underwear. "Uh, so...no lace panties this time? You're trying to kill me, aren't you?"

"No, of course not." She peppered the underside of his chin and the line of his jaw with kisses. "I just thought no underwear would be more convincing than the lace panties."

He kissed the base of her throat and then pushed aside the collar of his shirt to lay kisses on her shoulder. He spoke against her skin. "And what if it didn't?"

She covered her mouth over his and touched the tip of her tongue on his lower lip. Edward mirrored the action and soon the kiss deepened. She reached down and undid the button of his jeans and then unzipped his pants. Her hand slid down into his boxers and squeezed his hardened length.

Edward moaned into her mouth and she took his tongue into hers and sucked on it. He bucked his hips in response. He broke the kiss. "Jesus Christ, Bella."

"I take that as a yes, we're staying?" She let go of him and walked backward, leading him to the bed.

Edward followed, taking off his shirt in the process. "We are going on a date." Not wanting to mess with the buttons of the shirt Bella was wearing, he pulled the shirt above her head and threw it over his shoulder. "I don't know when, but we will."

He lowered Bella onto the bed and then covered one of her breasts with his mouth. Her back arched at the sensation and her breath became uneven. "Okay."

"God, you're beautiful." He kissed her and cupped her breast. Then he trailed kisses down her neck, between her breasts, and down to her navel.

"Edward," she moaned. He was leaving open mouth kisses on her hips and now on the inside of her thighs. She didn't know how much she could take and when his tongue swiped her clit, she knew she wouldn't last much longer.

She had fully intended on letting Edward take her on a date, but when she saw the open door to his room, she knew what she had to do. She wanted to replay that moment from the dinner party and let him have the ending that he wanted.

Once she had changed into one of his shirts, she wasn't sure how she was going to lure him into his room without him being suspicious. He seemed so intent on going out. Fortunately, he seemed distracted enough to come to his room without hesitation.

The expression on his face when he saw her was worth the effort and she would remember it for the rest of her life. It started off as confusion, surprise, and then amazement. It was like he couldn't believe that she was in his room with hardly any clothes, waiting for him.

It took every ounce of her willpower not to run to him and wrap her legs around him.

Pretending to be interested in the Klimt print was difficult when she felt his eyes raking over her body. She wanted to be under him while he looked at her that way.

Her breath came in short breaths and she moaned when she felt his tongue at her entrance. Bella had never experienced anything like this before. No one had ever savored her like this. With each lick and suck, Bella's body responded on its own accord. Her hands fisted the comforter above her head and her thighs brushed against the rough stubble forming on Edward's cheeks.

When his tongue found its way on her clit again and he began making soft circles on it, Bella's hands let go of the blanket and shot into Edward's hair, holding his head in place. With a few more passes with his tongue, Bella felt herself come undone.

"Oh God, Edward."

He kissed the sensitive bundle of nerves which caused her to let out a strangled cry.

He slipped the rest of his clothes off and settled himself between her thighs. He kissed her lightly on the lips and said, "Bella, I need to be inside of you."

"Yes, please." Her voice came out in a sigh.

Edward rubbed the tip of himself on her. "Do we need protection?"

She shook her head. "I'm covered."

"Are you sure?" He kissed her again. "I could--"

She covered her mouth over his and deepened the kiss. Edward rubbed the tip of himself over her clit with more friction. They both moaned at the sensation.

Bella broke the kiss and moaned against his lips. "I'm going to--You're going to--"

Edward lowered his head and swiped her nipple with his tongue.

Bella's back arched while her orgasm rolled through her in waves. Her hips spread further which caused Edward to slip inside of her in one fluid motion.

He steadied himself by holding on to one of her hips. His breathing was ragged and he held still for a moment.

"Edward?"

"Just give me a minute." He pressed his lips on hers and then continued to press soft kisses on the side of her neck. "So good."

She mirrored kisses on his neck and ran her hands up and down his sides. After a moment of slow kisses and rubbing, Edward moved his hips. They both let out sharp breaths.

"Is this okay?" he asked, his voice strained.

She nodded. "You feel so good."

He moved his hips again and groaned at Bella's response to having him inside of her. The sounds she made and the way she moved with him, it was everything he wanted and nothing like he ever experienced before. He couldn't believe how perfect they fit. He moved his hips a little faster and soon they had a rhythm of their hips meeting each other.

She hitched a leg over his hip and he almost lost it. He slowed down.

"What's the matter?" she asked.

"Just..." He kissed her and then flipped them, so that she was on top of him.

Bella was momentarily stunned by the change in position. He did it with such ease and stayed inside her the whole time.

"I hope this is okay," he said.

She smiled down at him and rocked her hips. "It's more than okay."

He reached up and cupped her face. "Just like this. I could watch you just like this all day."

She moved her hips again. "Okay." She kissed him.

Bella straddled his lap with her hands reaching back onto his thighs which helped to reach the spot deep inside. Soon, her movements became frantic.

"Edward, I'm so close."

He reached between her thighs and rubbed his thumb over her clit while she moved above him. "Bella, you're so beautiful."

She felt herself shatter and she let out a low moan.

Edward sat up and placed a hand behind her head while he lowered her onto her back. He lifted her knees and began pumping inside of her.

"Edward, it's too much." But she raised her hips to meet each of his thrusts.

After a few more thrusts, Edward threw his head back and groaned. He muttered, "Fuck."

His hips slowed and he trembled as the last of his orgasm rippled through his body. Then he collapsed on top of Bella.

She wrapped herself around him.

"Shit, sorry. I'm probably really heavy."

"No, don't go yet."

Their chests were pressed together, heaving. Arms and legs were tangled. Edward's face was buried in her neck and Bella's nose was nuzzled into the nape of his neck.

When their breathing evened out, Edward said, "Bella?"

"Hmm?"

"This is the best Valentine's Day ever."

She giggled. "Valentine's Day is over."

He kissed her. "I think it's just getting started."

She laughed again, but it soon turned into a groan when she felt him moving inside of her again.

**THE END**

**Author's Note:**

Special thanks to my betas for this story. **mrskatycullen** went above the call of duty on this one. She was stuck in another country with limited internet and an old computer. Thank you so much! **sherylaf**~It was snowing like crazy in her area so she was stuck inside, but she was also really sick. Thank you for your awesome beta comments even though you were hacking up a lung the whole time.

Thank you also to **JAG** at **Random Acts of Rob **for including this story in your Valetine's Day post. If you need a Rob fix, GO THERE. But it is an 18 and over site, so adults only.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed and rec'd this story. I know I was late with this final chapter, but I wanted to make sure it was shiny for you guys. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. :)

A couple of FAQs:

• _Are you planning on a sequel for this story?_

No. This was originally supposed to be a Valentine's Day one-shot. Obviously, it didn't happen that way and the fact that it became a novella was more than I had planned initially.

• _Are you going to write anymore stories?_

That is the big question. I have a few more ideas stored up. I'm debating between two right now. An AU New Moon story and another AH story. I'm not sure which one I'll do next, but which ever one I do decide on, I'm going to take the time to write out as many chapters as I can before I start posting again. I don't know how long that will take. If you're interested, you can put me on Author Alert just in case.

Thank you all for reading. I hope to see you all again soon.


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